Seyruun High Jinx NEXT!
by Kaeru Shisho
Summary: The 3rd story in the series about the Slayers' band, here with their rise to stardom and the big Musical - Syndicate showdown. See author profile for website! View our Pictures of the Slayers! (Completed)
1. Back to School

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! **

**Chapter One **

**Back to School**

_"Big words just beat them in the head, so they duck and then the words go right over—swoosh!" _–Lina

* * *

"I really like summer."

Zelgadiss flicked his eyes up to see if his best friend was being sarcastic or not. He wasn't. "Oh, really. Why's that?"

Xelloss didn't answer, but Zel could feel his grin. They passed a couple girls lounging on the grass as they made their way across campus to Zel's car. Oh, right. "I see," Zel sighed. "Half-dressed girls…"

Xelloss leaned into his ear and snickered, "Half-_naked_ girls…"

To which Zelgadiss responded with a roll of his eyes, "Summer's nearly over. The first day of fall's around the corner."

Xelloss made a face, "And all those layers of clothes! Thanks for destroying my little dreamland."

"My pleasure." Zel gave him a smirk and unlocked the car.

"I bet it is too! Well, at least I have tonight to look forward to!"

Zelgadiss started the car, "That's right. The opera."

"And," Xelloss smiled gamely as he cranked up the air conditioning. "An evening and a night with Miss Filia. Don't forget that."

"And don't you forget what Val said."

"_Snarled_. He snarled at me, Zelgadiss. He promised to flay me alive if I so much as hinted I might want to…you know…_do_ something." Xelloss smiled as Zelgadiss cringed. "Not that I would. I mean, it's _Filia_. Gods, how interested could I be in an Amazon like her? She'd just as soon mash me with that meat tenderizer of hers and toss me in with the garbage as invite me into her hotel room."

"Probably more."

Xelloss raised an eyebrow, "Yes. Probably more."

"Then it is the opera that you are looking forward to like I said."

"Yes. As you said." Xelloss watched the traffic flow as Zel wove in and out expertly cutting off a few seconds of their commute time. "Still… there is the possibility…"

"Go ahead." Zel snapped as he swung into the high school parking lot and zipped into his numbered space. "I have dibs on your room at the house."

"You have?"

"Yes. Val kills you and hides the body. I reveal nothing to the investigators and get your room to convert into a fitness room. It's a done deal, providing…" Zel gave his buddy a quick smile and climbed out of the car, grabbing his leaden backpack in the process.

"I piss off Val, huh?" Xelloss asked, tossing his half-empty book bag across one shoulder and waiting for Zel to come around to his side.

"Or Filia. I don't think it matters much to Val. He's very possessive as it turns out." Zel stopped. "Where are we going? Lunch?"

"Yes indeedy! We get here five minutes before the others so we can claim our old table. Ah, orders from Lina."

"Of course."

"Of course!" Xelloss swung open the side door to the school and held it open for Zel to pass through first. "Do you really think he'd do that? Flay me?"

"Yes. He'd begin with your scalp." Zel pounded on the locker he shared with Xelloss, triggering the lock to engage. "He described it to me in great detail while you were showering after our swim lesson the other night. Vividly. He's got a good imagination."

"You think it's just his imagination?"

Zelgadiss paused. "Now that you put it that way, I'm not so sure. He was very explicit about the treatment of certain body parts. Makes one think."

Xelloss slammed the locker door shut. "Thanks for the imagery. And right before lunch too."

"My pleasure."

"You are a sadistic man, Zelgadiss." Xelloss checked his pocket for his wallet. Oh, oh. "But a very generous one."

Zelgadiss looked askance at Xelloss. That was an odd thing for him to say, even for him. Oh, of course. "Appetite returning?"

"Yes."

"Forgot your money?"

"Yes…dammit Zelgadiss." Xelloss growled.

"That's Zel to you. Say it."

"It."

Zel grunted. "Huh. Looks like I'm in luck. Some tolerable food choices today…"

"Please."

"That was more humble, but that's not what I wanted to hear."

Xelloss sighed. "Please…Zel."

Zelgadiss got into the grilled food line. "Fries too?"

"Yes…Zel."

Zelgadiss dumped his food onto one tray and Xelloss' on another and handed the lunchroom clerk a five dollar bill. "That includes two drinks. Thanks." He motioned Xelloss to come get his tray. "Now, that wasn't so hard to say, was it?"

"No, Zel-GA-dissss, you sssadistic little bassstard," Xelloss hissed.

"That's your sister you're dissing," Zel smirked.

Xelloss started. Zel had never joked about his shared bloodline before. The his-sister-Zel's-mother connection had always been a subject untouched upon in casual conversation—almost treated in holy reverence. Xelloss was pleased that Zel was accepting it at last. Of course…it hadn't even been a year since he'd found out…

Then he flashed his goofy grin and chuckled. "Here comes Lina and her great big, strong, protector Gourry!"

"Zip it," Zel warned his friend. Gourry was his friend also and although he knew that Gourry and Xelloss would never be close, he couldn't help but notice how strained their relationship was becoming.

"Oh how embarrassing," Xelloss murmured looking downward, then barked a laugh, "Oh, you mean my _mouth_, huh?"

Zel rolled his eyes and grumbled something under his breath. It was a great start to yet another gruelingly awful year of school, he could tell. At least it would be his last. "Hey…Lina…Gourry…" He rested his tray on the table silently and drew up a chair.

"That looks better than what I brought," Lina observed. "I'm gonna get that too. Hold my spot!"

"Sure!" all three boys answered in chorus.

Gourry shot a look at Xelloss then back down at his chair. It didn't look like it was going anywhere and that burger plate sure did look good. "I'll go too, then."

"Your spot's safe with us!" Xelloss chirped playfully.

Gourry may have mumbled, "Sure," as he left after Lina.

"There they are already!" It was Amelia with Chichiro, her friend from the Suzaku Seven, and both of Gourry's sisters, the twins Karie and Sharie—the three entering freshman this year. Amelia merrily continued to explain to the newbies, "We have our own special seating arrangement, but the places at the ends aren't taken if you'd like to join us."

Chichiro drew up a chair on the far side of Amelia by way of an answer. The two girls twittered over sitting at the same table as their—yuck--big brother.

"Tell you what," Xelloss said with a smile. "I'll change places and sit on Zelgadiss' other side. That way Amelia can sit beside him and you girls can tell me all about your summer."

Karie and Sharie were most pleased. Xelloss was sooo dreamy…

"Now, I thought one of you was 'Teri', or have I just missed a Gabriev offspring?" Xelloss smiled.

"Oh, that's her," said Karie with a giggle and jab at her sister. "We were born Karolynn and Sharolynn but there was, you know, this really awful girl we both hated in sixth grade named Sherrie and so she decided to go by her middle name, which was…"

"Let me guess," Xelloss smiled. "Terolynn?"

"Ewww! No, Terrie! Xelly! What kind of name would Sharolynn Terolynn be!" one or both of the twins squealed.

The noise caused Filia to start as she set her lunch sack down. "God-awful," she murmured in reply. "Where is everyone?"

Xelloss, still recovering from the 'Xelly' nickname, caught sight of Sylphiel on her way over and wriggled his fingers by way of saying 'over here'. "By **everyone,** you mean Vally-boy? He said this morning at breakfast that he'd be a bit late to lunch so hold that chair for him, 'kay? Those two are for Lina and Gourry. We're supposed to be guarding them as well. _Her _orders. You know, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed. And here I thought all I had to so was sit and eat…"

The fact that now Xelloss was facing Val's empty chair and Filia--rather than Sylphiel, Lina, and Gourry-- seemed inconsequential to most everyone. But when Sylphiel glided up, she was confused a moment-- not knowing where to set her lunch bag, despite Xelloss' attempts to get her attention. Luckily, Lina and Gourry arrived on the scene to work out the new seating arrangements.

Gourry ended up between Sylphiel, who was stranded on the far end, and Lina. Lina sat next to Filia, with Val—when he made it-- closing off the other end. Across from Val's chair, now sat the Gabriev twins, followed by Xelloss, Zel, and Amelia across from Sylphiel. Chichiro ended the row with a cheerful smile. That meant that Xelloss was currently seated directly across from Filia, very dangerous. Zelgadiss couldn't wait for the fireworks to begin. And he had a pretty good seat to catch all the action.

"Are you ready to go when you get home?" Filia asked Xelloss directly.

"All packed."

"I told my father to just stop out front and you'd come out to the car."

"As long as he gives me time enough to hop in before taking off. I won't keep you waiting, I can assure you." Xelloss smiled, and then plunged into his meal without saying another word. He was very restrained. He listened politely to the younger girls' random dialogue highlighting their 'boring' summer. He should be so lucky.

How disappointing, Zel thought. Hardly a sparkler! Oh, here comes Val. That ought to set off something exciting.

"Yo."

"Mr. _Agares_?" Xelloss smiled in question.

"Yeah. The fuc… ah…" He halted mid-word, and scanned the faces of the young girls, Gourry's sisters, long enough to realize he should tone down his language. "The _of-fice help _hadn't gotten my messages converted into ac-tu-al-it-tee yet. Been con-vincin' them all week, but it took a face ta face meetin' before they got it done," Val smirked.

"He changed his name back to his original birth name," Zelgadiss explained to everyone looking confused. "He is now officially Val Agares."

Val shook his head and denied all requests for a speech. Was he a bit embarrassed at all the attention suddenly?

"Blood Drive on Monday to kick off the student council elections, so everybody eat a big breakfast!" Amelia reminded them. The periods are shortened just for this." To Zel and Xelloss she added, "It's before lunch so if you hurry you two can make it too!"

Zel muttered something indecipherable. Xelloss wriggled a finger to indicate that he'd heard, but continued eating.

"Are we havin' a band practice today?" Gourry asked.

"Xelloss isn't going to be here," Zel reminded him. "Nor will Filia and probably Val will be late."

Lina waved him off, "Sure. We have plenty to go over without him, besides. He brought me a new CD the other day. It has a song that would make a perfect duet for you and me."

She looked at Gourry, who was nearly choking on his roll he was so surprised. "It's from some anime called Kare Kano. Cute song. Plus we've got lots of other new things to get started on. Like my duet with Zel and that Lost Universe number and Val's burning heart song to go over, if he makes it. Xelloss can add in the drums another time. Anyway it will be quieter."

"Yep," Gourry nodded. _He_ was speechless anyway. Xelloss brought Lina a song for him and Lina to do, not Xelloss and Lina? That sounded…unlikely, but well, maybe the guy wasn't trying nothin' anyway. He knew that Xelloss had been over to Lina's a few times to practice some dance thing of theirs, but he was also aware that Xelloss had been over to his house helping Joey learn the drum part to a song. Maybe Xelloss just wanted to become a better guy. So…why couldn't Gourry feel like he could trust him? He felt a bit guilty about that sometimes. "Sounds okay, Lina."

Xelloss opened his eyes slightly and met Gourry's turning from a surprised expression to a vacuous one in an instant.

"Everything okay at the big U?" Filia asked Xelloss.

"Big You? Oh, university!" Xelloss smiled. "Yes. Classes are rolling along as usual. Last night's lab was one to remember, wasn't it, Zelgadiss?"

Filia nearly crossed her eyes with exasperation, "Xelloss you dimwit! I meant with Eris! She is your teacher and I was wondering, you know, how that was working now that you and she broke up."

Leave it to Filia to be blunt. Even Zelgadiss had more sensitivity! Xelloss had his mouth full of fries, giving Zel a gap in the conversation stream to jump in. "Filia, things are tense but working now drop it," Zel said.

But Xelloss, sensing an opportunity, spoke up next, "I'm available again, if that's what you're hinting at…what with our weekend together coming up and all…"

Val growled, or at least Zel thought. No, snarled, more likely.

Filia tried to pound Xelloss over the head with her juice bottle, but Xelloss backed away from the table too quickly. She sat back down in a huff. "Be sure to hit him hard for me later, okay?" she said to Val.

Val leaned across the table and whispered to Xelloss in a totally non-threatening manner, "Don't give me a reason to."

Xelloss smiled bemusedly, "Who _me_? _She_ started it!"

Sharie and Karie squealed. Sharie grabbed at Xelloss protectively, "Don't you touch him!"

Xelloss smiled weakly, "Ah…thanks, girls, but that's okay." As he pried off the hands he added, "Val and I are roommates, band corps, and step-brothers. _Best _of friends, right?" He giggled a bit and batted his eyes at Val.

"Ah, shit…" Val grumbled. "Cut that out." Xelloss would never let him forget the times he'd mentioned how attractive he was. The last time he was sick with a fever, for gods'sakes!

Filia slammed her hand on the table, causing Lina to jump out of her seat. "Gods, Filia! I'm trying to digest here! You'll have all night to fight with him!"

"Well, not _all_ night, probably," Xelloss smiled and winked provocatively back at Filia, then dodged a wad of wax paper and sandwich crusts aimed at his face. "Okay, okay if you insist then I'll keep my options open, Miss Filia!"

"Xelloss! You y-you hunk of… of… of rotten garbage!" Filia shouted. She hurled the rest of her bio-degradable, fully recyclable lunch at his retreating form as he bounded away from their table and out into the hallway.

Zelgadiss sighed and wiped the bits of refuse off his sleeve and portion of the table where her food remnants accidentally flew. "I don't think you have a thing to worry about," he said to Val.

Val smirked and nodded, "Nah, they're like water and oil…"

"More like potassium and…" Zel began.

"Don't go all nerd here," Val interrupted.

Zel blushed and looked away. "Water and oil will do just fine."

Eventually Filia returned to her seat and Xelloss slipped in unnoticed in an empty seat beside Sylphiel.

"Oh, father was so glad you stopped by the shrine the other evening, Xelloss," Sylphiel smiled shyly and sipped at her diet soda.

"Yes? It's time I got back to my duties as a priest."

"Uh, huh, and I said I thought you'd be good with the little kids. Some of the other priestesses and me do that, you know, watch the little kiddies while their parents are in the shrine services. But to have a guy, ah…to them you'd be like a grown up man! They'd like that bunches!" Sylphiel giggled.

Xelloss raised a single eyebrow, hidden under his fringe of purple bangs. "I see. So that's why he gave me that assignment. He mentioned eeeeasing me back into the computer work later, if need be, but now I understand where he got that lame-- ah, that is, that rather _odd_ idea."

"So you're gonna do it! That's great!" she cried out.

"I'm not sure, actually Sylphiel. We discussed it and we're both going to think about it. There are…extenuating circumstances."

"But I thought you said you loved children and wanted a family full of them?"

"Yes, well," Xelloss' smile faded. "_My_ own children would be one thing. Being responsible for other people's kids is something else. Besides, haven't you been able to rope—ah, convince-- your boyfriend to lend you a hand?"

Sylphiel sighed. "He's gone."

Amelia echoed back in shock, "GONE!"

"Not _died_, gone _home_," Sylphiel giggled. "He had to go back to college in Japan. I won't see him again until his winter break!"

"Oh, how awful," Amelia commiserated with her friend over her loss. "I wish I could have said goodbye."

Sylphiel blushed and looked down at her hands, "Well, it was a bit sudden. We had a big fight and decided that he'd better leave a week earlier than planned."

"How big of a fight?" Lina asked with charitable curiosity.

"We b-broke off the engagement," she said sniffling some.

Amidst the sorrowful sounds of condolences from her girlfriends, came the silent communiqué from the guys. Gourry looked over at Zel, who in turn caught first Xelloss eyes, then Val's then came to rest on Gourry's.

"What did I say?" Gourry's asked. "Remember, Zel? At the band contest?"

"On the hunt again," Xelloss' confirmed. "She's got her father working for her this time."

"Beware," Zelgadiss' warned.

"Listen up!" Lina shouted as she bashed Gourry on the shoulder. "Amelia was telling us to meet her outside at the usual spot and her van will take us to practice after school. Got that?"

"Ow, Lina," Gourry complained. "We got that last class together…Japanese… anyway. Ya coulda just waited to tell me then."

"I thought you were gonna drop that class," Lina reminded him.

"I was, but I forgot. Might as well just stick it out now. You'll help me, right, Lina?"

Her face softened. "Yeah, sure. We'll all get you through it somehow. All right. There's the bell. Who's got Advanced World Literature with me? I look forward to this one class. It's my only one that hasn't gone all foul."

Xelloss blinked and looked at Zel, who was smiling….no, smirking. He knew something.

"Foul?" Xelloss asked, unafraid to make a fool of himself sometimes.

Lina grinned, "Yeah. In all the other classes, big words just beat them in the head, so they _duck_ and then the words go right over—swoosh!"

Gourry looked blank.

"Duck. Quack, quack…foul? Very funny, Miss Lina!" Xelloss smiled bemusedly.

"Yeah, yeah. Well I'm not the comedian you are," Lina smiled back. "Zel? Filia? Xelloss? Let's go!"

"So, how does this look with this suit? Black on black too cliche?" Xelloss found Zelgadiss reading over his notes from Japanese and pressed further. "Or should I go with Lina's pirate stripes?"

Zel looked up into Xelloss' earnest face. "No. The black tie looks fine. I hear a car coming. Are you finished packing? You are staying a week, correct?"

Xelloss made a face at his teasing roommate. "I didn't pack that much. Just the one bag, see? A change for the morning and a different shirt, just in case."

"Just in case of what? You dribble food on it or decide to ..."

Xelloss interrupted Zel's snide remark. "To go dancing. Something less formal."

"Don't forget pajamas." Zelgadiss closed his notebook and stood to open the front door, moving Xelloss along all the while.

"What for? I'm not planning on parading around..."

This time Zel cut him off. "Suit yourself. Your chariot awaits." Zel smiled and opened the front door. Yes, the Ul Copt car pulled up at that moment. "Mustn't keep them waiting."

"Indeed not!" Xelloss laughed aloud He ran into his room and jammed a pair of black silk pants and his kimono top into his travel bag. "Say hi to Lina et al at the practice. Hope Val shows up."

"I hope the trial went well for him."

"He's just happy he's not the one on trial for a change!" Xelloss said with a laugh, lugging his bag out the door.

"Sure," Zel chuckled along. "Have a good time."

"Thanks!" Xelloss waved and skipped down the walk to the waiting car.

Zel let out his breath in a long sigh, tucked a carton under his arm, and followed him out, locking the door behind him. After school, Amelia and her van had taken Sylphiel, Lina, and Gourry back to the practice room at her house. Zel had driven Xelloss home to pack, while Filia had bussed back to the settlement and Val had driven to the courthouse to help the defense of Jillas and Gravos.

Zelgadiss climbed into his car and backed out the driveway. He would be late. Lina would be mad at him, but he had wanted to see his best friend off. Xelloss tended to be preoccupied and dilatory, often smiling his secret smile and dawdling away in an abstract dreamworld of his own. Zelgadiss wanted to make certain that he got home, showered, changed, and packed in the small amount of time allotted. Job done, he now wended his way up the winding road to the fine estate of the Mayor. To practice, or at least help Lina and Gourry with their new duet. Had Xelloss meant that song for himself and Lina, he wondered? He never asked his friend and Xelloss kept his intent a secret, as usual.

Would Xelloss ever truly change? Zel smiled and shook his head. No. As close as they were, Xelloss thrived on the melodramatic, the convoluted, and particularly the arcanum – both his and the secrets of others. He trusted no one completely, but Xelloss did respect, listen to, and abide by much of his, Zelgadiss', knowledgeable opinions. He also appreciated Zel's scheduling ability with more than perfunctory courtesy. Zel smiled a self-satisfied smile and turned off the engine. Yes. His planning and organizational skills were second to none.

"Ze-el!" Lina screamed. "You're late!"

"I had to make sure Xelloss got ready and off." Zel said simply as he entered the practice room.

"Oh, well...of course...naturally. Did you bring the..." Lina demurred and changed the subject

"Yes. I remembered the music you asked for and I brought cookies. Date bars I made and froze a few days ago. All right?" Zel smirked and shoved the carton into her hands.

"Forgiven. Now, see what you can do with Gourry's song, 'kay?" She smiled.

Gourry chuckled as Zel approached him, "Lucky you brought those cookies."

"Luck had nothing to do with it. Simply good planning on my part. That's what it takes," Zel returned Gourry's smile, then they both settled down to the assigned task.

* * *

Xelloss was more comfortable around adults than people his own age. This was because he had been raised isolated from other children for much of his life. When he had been in grade school, he fought with the other boys who teased or tried to intimidate him. He had been a loner, even more so than Zelgadiss, for Zel had had Lina. Taking up dancing set him apart from the other boys as well, and then being singled out as the particular favorite of the instructor had made him the most distinctly despised and envied kid in the dance studio. Little did they suspect how truly un-enviable his situation was. Oddly enough, Xelloss' path to normalcy began when he entered the mental hospital road to recovery.

"We won't have much time to find our rooms and unpack before we must search out a restaurant for dinner," Filia's father warned them all on the highway to Atlas City.

"Search? (Said like 'sir--erch')," Filia moaned. "Why aren't we going to our usual place again?"

"Because, dear," her mother answered sharply, annoyed with her daughter's moodiness lately. "Our favorite place closed a week ago. We just found out when your father tried to make reservations."

"We'll just have to do our best and drive around awhile to find another good place," Mr. Ul Copt sighed.

Xelloss' eyes opened. "Do you like French cuisine?"

"It's got to offer vegetarian."

Xelloss smiled languidly at Filia and drawled in French, "Naturellement." Leaning forward from the back seat slightly, he offered, "May I make a suggestion? I know a very good place. Yes? I can make the reservation from here on my cellphone."

Her parents were very pleased. Filia eyed him suspiciously. Why was he being so accommodating? "Better not be counting on impressing me!" she sniffed and gazed out the window at the passing scenery. She pointedly blotted out the sound of his muted voice on the phone and listened to the music her father had selected to play on the car's CD player.

He hopped out of the parked car and offered Filia his hand to get out. Wordlessly she accepted that help as well as his assistance with her bag. Rarely had she seen him as eager to schlep his own gear to gigs. What a show of good breeding he was putting on! They parted at the doors to their rooms with little over thirty minutes to rest up before having to eat.

His restaurant choice was excellent, of course. Xelloss smiled as they approached the faintly familiar façade remembering how he had been there with his mother the summer before. It seemed like ages now. The moment the trio stepped over the threshold and into the sumptuous richness of the dining room, Mr. Ul Copt knew that this was the kind of place where reservations had to be made weeks in advance and far exceeded his allotted budget for the evening's entertainment. He pulled Xelloss to the side, obviously a bit uncomfortable with what he was about to say.

Xelloss stopped him with a gesture, "It's okay, Mr. Ul Copt. It really is no big deal. I own the place. Enjoy yourselves at no expense. Really! Sir, I never could have gotten those tickets to the ballet and I wouldn't have wanted to come alone. Please, let me do this by way of my thanks to you, 'kay?"

"You own…?" But the man had the good sense not to make the poor kid elaborate. Obviously, this restaurant had been one of the syndicate holdings that Xelloss had inherited.

"It's legit…honest!" Xelloss added hastily, eyes open in supplication, no hidden meanings or duplicity intended.

"Dear?" Mrs. Ul Copt gracefully drew him back to her side. "They are ready to seat us. Is something wrong?"

The man smiled, "No dear. We were just discussing who'd be paying for all this upgrade in service." To her upraised eyebrow he added, "We'll let the lad handle dinner tonight."

And Xelloss did. He ordered all the food, in perfect fluent French, including a wine choice—from Kiki's family estate, of course. His manners were exemplary at the table. He was dressed to kill and could converse on any topic. He was the hit of the evening.

"I thought you couldn't drink alcohol," Filia pointed out as he took a taste from his glass.

"Try it. It is a non-alcoholic wine from a list Kiki e-mailed to me last week. Not bad, is it? How does it compare to the real thing, Mr. Ul Copt?" Xelloss asked with interest.

"Excellent! Dry and lighter than the usual Chardonnay we produce out at the settlement, but quite fine. I'd like to try a few of her families other wines some time."

Xelloss smiled. He called over a young waiter and whispered a few instructions. Later that evening, a mixed case of wine, an opener, and two glasses would be delivered to the Ul Copt's room at the hotel.

"So you've been here before, Xelloss?" Filia's mother asked as the first courses appeared.

"Yes, the last time was…more than a year ago, with my mother."

Filia's eyes shot up to catch his. "So this is some syndicate hangout you've brought me and my parents to?"

"Not anymore," he said eyes lowered to his plate.

The conversation lightened up although it was relatively sparse as more dishes arrived and clinched their attention. Filia sat back in wonder. This couldn't be that giggling geek that antagonized her endlessly, could it? Xelloss looked surprisingly sophisticated in a dark, nearly sinister way decked out in his finely cut suit—despite the odd hairstyle he favored. He carried himself with pride but not arrogance. Classy, she was tempted to say. He was describing the ballet troupe that they were about to watch perform. She didn't bother paying his conversation any attention, it was too uninteresting, but _he_ certainly was not. This Xelloss was a far cry from the one in the cafeteria just a few hours earlier—and from the comparatively surly, unfinished guy she had planned to be eating with, Val. She struggled to picture Val sitting at the table across from her, unable to choose the correct fork or know how to slice into his truffle mousse.

She let out a sigh.

"Filling up dear? There's dessert too." her mother pointed out.

Her father checked his watch, "Whoops! We'd better skip that for now and head on out if we want to find a close parking space for the ballet!"

Xelloss may have looked a little disappointed at having to miss his favorite part of the meal, dessert, but he didn't show it. "We should just go then," he smiled, standing and offering Filia his arm. "Shall we?"

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter One.


	2. A Night to Remember

Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! 

Chapter Two

A night to remember

"I make my biggest mistakes when I'm bored." – Filia

* * *

Filia was bored.

The ballet had been a remarkably fun experience, thanks to Xelloss' unbounded enthusiasm and interesting comments. Afterwards Xelloss had guided her father to a dance hall, of all places. Her parents were unsure at first, but when he assured them that it was ballroom dancing and very nice, they relented. She had never seen her folks so happy and carefree before. Her mother was glowing, dancing in the arms of her handsome father.

Xelloss had asked her mother for her first dance and what a striking couple they had made! Her mother was an inch or two taller and older, but Xelloss carried himself with such self-assurance and grace on the dance floor that they appeared to be old pros doing it for years. Her father had asked her to dance and, sadly, she knew that they had not cut such a fine figure. But she wasn't that bad. Her father swung them near to the other couple and suggested to Xelloss that that they trade partners, joking that if he didn't get his wife away quickly while he had the chance, that she might just run off with her new-found dancing partner! How embarrassing! But her mother had thought it very flattering and funny! Xelloss had too.

Filia sighed. Dancing with Xelloss had been, well…she had to admit, an exhilarating experience. He made her feel like she could dance as well as he and the looks they'd received! They were among the youngest on the floor, and certainly Xelloss was the best. If only her parents would stop staring at them! Xelloss was just her friend of sorts, the drummer of their band, the young man who had returned Wolfpack Island to her colony, the recently retired head of the western Syndicate, and the owner of the most beautiful pair of eyes--_the color_, she meant, of course!

But after that they had to return to their hotel rooms. Mom and dad were pooped, or so they claimed. Now her parents were busy in their room doing...whatever, and she was bored to tears. She had neglected to bring a book to read and so was relegated to being a TV watcher. After discovering what a waste of time late night TV was, she decided to go out of her room and hunt for the ice machine and something drink, soda if need be. Company would be nice for this adventure and Xelloss was conveniently located in the room next to hers.

She knocked on his door. "Xelloss? Xelloss! Open up, it's me!"

It had been a long day. Zelgadiss had made him get up and go to classes that morning-- _way_ too early, considering the previous late night of chemistry lab and homework. Then back over to the high school. _Then_ the drive to the city, dinner, the ballet, then dancing. Now it was time to dry his hair and slip between those crisp, cool sheets for a well deserved night's sleep. He heard an insistent knocking at his door and frowned. Now what?

He wrapped his hair towel around his waist and opened the door a crack, "Filia? What's the matter?"

"Listen, I'm going for ice."

"Really." He said that flatly. With a sigh he added, "That's nice. I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."

"Aw, come on. I don't want to go creeping around this place all by myself. Who knows what kind of monsters are hiding in the shadows?" She wanted him to join her but wasn't about to start begging.

Xelloss sighed slightly. "Just a minute, I'm not..."

Filia was already pushing into the room.

"...Dressed. Filia!"

"Oh for Cepheid's sake, Xelloss, just put on your kimono and let's go!"

He did. He also scrambled around for his pants, mentally thanking Zelgadiss for his forethought. "My, my, Filia...a little privacy would be nice."

"I'm not looking at you, Xelly. Besides, I know what you look like and we've been holed up together more times than I like to think about with less privacy than this. You ready yet?"

"After you." He bit back any other comments like, "Well maybe **you **don't cherish my privacy, but **I** do!" What good would it do?

He padded beside her, barefoot, looking rather exotic in his kimono and silk pants and straight damp hair alongside the tall, elegant blonde girl glowing with good health. "Just around the corner. Drinks too? Okay. I haven't any money on me," he smiled. Obviously he hardly had time to get on himself!

"I'll get you something. Pick one. That one is caffeine-free, should you want to go to sleep in the next few hours."

"I _should_ have liked to have been asleep already." He looked at her askance to see if she had been paying attention to his little jib. If she had, she wasn't reacting. No fun. "Okay, I'll take that one. Thanks."

They made it back to his room. "Well?"

"Well, what?" he asked as he stood in front of his door.

"Why don't you go in?"

"I left my keys on the dresser...in side the room," he smiled apologetically. "You rushed me."

"You mean Zel-bob wasn't reminding you to pick them up on the way out. You would be lost without him, I bet. How _ever_ did you get along before you guys met?" Filia asked, arms folded and eye to eye with him.

He leaned against the door, feeling the solid coldness on his back. "Okay."

She cleared her throat and clicked her tongue, _yeah sure_.

"Not very well," he amended his first statement. "You know, he was my first male friend, albeit a reluctant one at first."

"Male one. You mean you had girlfriends before that?"

"Only one and she was just a friend. Lain. The girl at the dance club the night...well, maybe you didn't meet her. You were busy with Allan Schezar that night, if I recollect."

"How would you remember anything about that night after nearly OD-ing on drugs!" she asked.

"I have a good memory, in spite of everything," he smiled and looked down at his empty hands wishing fervently that one of them contained his room keys. He _was_ dependent on Zelgadiss, wasn't he?

"So where did you meet this Lain girl?"

"At...the hospital...the mental one," he answered quickly. Looking off into the distance he said, "Filia, no offence, but I need to get to the office and have the management scare up another room key for me."

"At this hour? It must be way past midnight." Filia shook her head. "Come on, you can stay in my room." Her eyes narrowed, "It's got two beds."

What the hey? "O-kay, do-kay!" He smiled a tired smile, adjusted his glasses slightly, and followed her to the next door. "But _you _do the explaining in the morning to your parents."

"There won't be anything to explain. I'll set my alarm. You'll be out and in your own room by the time they're ready to go to breakfast. Besides," she added as they entered her room, "they're ready to adopt you anyway. Gods, you are such an actor, Xelloss. As far as they are concerned, you can do no wrong. Perfect manners, elegant dancer, funny, entertaining, sophisticated yet not stuffy or arrogant, handsome, intelligent... What's your problem?"

Xelloss was holding his sides and about to explode with laughter. "S-Sorry...I'm not certain if you are talking about the wrong Xelloss or I'm in here with the wrong Filia!"

"Moron ..." she mumbled. "Here's a glass. There's plenty of ice."

"Yep."

"Have you tried the TV yet?"

"No. I took a shower. A long shower. It helps me relax." Xelloss filled his glass with ice, popped open his drink and settled on the neatly made-up bed by the window."

"Comfy?"

"Yes, thanks for asking...and thanks for, you know...offering me the fine accommodations." He smiled and sipped at his drink. Zelgadiss he would have to tell about all this, but should he tell Val? He might not see the humor in it like Zelgadiss would. In fact, he might spark a little jealously in his punkish heart. That _might_ be fun. Then again, it _might_ be painful.

"So. You like to talk. Tell me a story." Filia sank onto her bed, tucked her robe around her and looked over at him. "Oh, and dinner was good, by the way, for French. I thought everything but desserts had some kind of organ like liver, guts or testicles in it."

"Ah...thanks… And…it's not… well, I'm glad you were impressed. Now, I'd rather just drift off quietly to sleep..."

"Tell me what it's like in a mental hospital," she practically demanded.

"Huh? You are full of surprises. Tell you about my time in the nut house, huh? It is not something I've ever talked about." Xelloss leaned back on one stack of pillows and drew the covers up over his legs. Unconsciously squeezing another pillow to his chest, he closed his eyes a moment.

Filia thought that he had fallen asleep and rose, moving over to his bed, when he started to speak again. "I remember bits and pieces, as you'd expect from the head injuries I had incurred along with the others to my body. I clearly recall standing in a hallway outside what was to be my room, my mother's heels clicking in the distance...leaving. The clothes and toiletries were simple and standard issue to everyone. Nothing from home was allowed in."

Xelloss chucked softly, "I looked in the room and to my relief, nothing was purple-colored!"

He opened one eye when he felt the corner of the bed sink slightly as Filia sat down. "I, ah… I had a roommate; we all did on Desolation Row– that's what the suicide-watch hall was called. It's from a Bob Dylan song. My roommate wasn't there at the time. Probably on purpose until I was moved in. I'd meet him later. I think now that he had to have been eating dinner. It was dark out when I had arrived, but I don't recall being offered a meal myself. A nurse led me in and showed me my bed and my closet and bookcase. Then he left. My mother hadn't even stayed to see inside the room where I'd been sentenced to live."

Filia nodded and he continued, "Anyway, I must have simply fallen asleep in my clothes. I know I hadn't changed or anything when I woke up screaming. The lights were on...a steward was holding me down and calling for help. Someone came in and ripped off my shirt, to give me a shot of some kind of knock-out drugs. It ripped most likely because I was fighting them and thrashing around, looking back. I didn't know what was happening or where I was. What I remember now is the sensation of being the center of chaos...the total confusion of the entire event. I smelled something and turned my head to the side and saw a kid, older than me puking his guts out. It was my roommate. He'd just seen my chest scars. They had only recently been unbandaged and I can assure you that they looked far worse then, than now, because my roommate --as it turned out- was ordinarily no weak-stomached Milquetoast. I was moving about totally out of control and managed to make the needle jab me pretty hard. Naturally I noticed the blood and fainted away. And that was my first night at the hospital. Heard enough?"

Filia, who was settled at the foot of his bed to listen, shook her head, "Go on."

Xelloss stared at her a moment. "This is really difficult to describe, Filia. Like a dream. Ever try to tell someone about one of your dreams? Details…some are clear, mostly the strong emotions, others are foggy and the rest just escapes to the nether parts of the brain when you try to focus on them. Well, that's the way it is for me, anyway."

"I get what you're saying," she said encouraging him to go on. "Plus the pills and stuff must have messed up your head too."

"That too. I was drugged and strapped down for days. I lost track, unable to really tell one day from the next. When they finally deemed me able to socialize to some extent, I was introduced to the routine. Group therapy, meal, exercise, individual psychoanalysis and in my case some physical rehabilitation, meal, free time, rest, supervised activities, meal, then time restricted to your own room and lights out.

"Sounds more boring than dirt."

"It was. That was the point. No surprises. Busy enough to make it seem like a life, but for some of the kids with intelligence..."

"Like Lain? And you of course..." Filia said.

"Yes. Lain had been there a few months longer than me. She had progressed to a period of unsupervised activity, where she lived and breathed surfing the net and hacking codes and... creating viruses... stuff. I wanted to learn all that too, so I honed my acting skills and 'got better' faster. Filia, some of those other kids, they were hopeless. Most of them had fried their brains with drugs, usually as a follow up to either parental abuse or from being runaways and messed up on the street. Boys, girls...rich, poor... openly hostile or withdrawn. Didn't much matter. We were all thrown together, a real hodgepodge of kids no one wanted to see again."

"Wasn't it dangerous, though? I mean, weren't you better off at home, now that your…um, step-father was locked up?" Filia asked.

"Thrown to the wolves…" he mused to himself ignoring Filia's question. "I was pretty young. Most of the others were two or three years older than me, some more than that. Most the guys figured I was gay and figured what I was good for," he paused and closed his eyes, letting Filia fill in the details as best her imagination could. "Lucky for me my roommate actually _was_ gay and had once been on the wrestling team at his high school. He protected me for the most part from the others. I mean, I was scrappy and could fight, but not well and I was small at the time. From him I got the idea of taking up Karate as soon as I worked my way up from 'unsupervised' free time to 'unsupervised outside activity'. That took about six months of concerted effort on my part, and a great deal of acting ability."

"I think you are skipping past some bad memories." Filia watched his face. "Yeah, so your roommate became a friend too. You seem to like weirdos."

Xelloss sighed and hugged the pillow tightly, ignoring her slight insult, and not wondering even if it had been intended as one. "In a way, I suppose. We tolerated one another. I wasn't really ready to befriend anyone, Filia, but I was happy to have him keep the others at bay. But we had nothing in common and never really talked about anything. Lain was different. I wanted what freedom and knowledge she had and sought her out. It wasn't until my last year there that I established a kind of friendship with her. My roommate had already shipped out by then and I was well into mastering Karate so I didn't need his threatening bulk to protect me any more. Funny, I don't remember what he looked like even. Why, I could run into him on the street and not even recognize him I'm sure, but at the time I saw him more often than my own reflection. We had no mirrors in our rooms, only in a large shared bathroom where the older boys could use one to shave or the girls to primp."

"That sounds...awful, why?"

"Suicide watch. We could break the glass and slit our wrists, I guess. Our plates and drinking glasses were plastic...even our spoons and forks. No knives, of course."

"So, your roommate got better and left?"

"I _guess_ so. No one ever told us a thing. One day they are there and the next, gone-- unless you're lucky and catch one going out feet first. Oh, yes, sometimes one would figure out how to kill themselves and do it!" Xelloss smirked.

Filia shuddered. "How sad."

"Yeah."

"Did you ever...try?"

"At the hospital? Oh, at first I attempted to put myself out of my misery several times a day! Then I found out that it only set me back; keep me in lock-down more. More meds, too. Once I found out about other possibilities, I stopped. I pretended to take the pills, hid them, got my head together, and started to improve. You see for me the drugs were not the right prescription, just a ploy to drive me nuts permanently."

"Good thing you figured it out…in time."

"For me, yes!" Xelloss laughed. "Of course that didn't spare me from the injected drugs or the food-laced-with-mind-deadening _crap_." He nearly spat out the last word with a vehemence he had had under tight control until then.

"You've been practicing…as an actor for a long time then."

He nodded. "I guess so. Doesn't everyone try to be something they're not? Something bigger and better?"

"Some, but you do it all the time, don't you? I mean, is this the real Xelloss I'm talking to, or the suave dancer or sophisticate around town, or the fool at school or the…"

He brought a finger up to her lips to silence her. "I'm too tired to be anyone but who I am right now. Is that okay?"

Gulp. He was going to try to kiss her, wasn't he? He was close, close enough that she could smell the faint scent of his lavender shampoo and feel the warmth of his face. So close… Did she want him to try?

Oh my. She was closing her eyes. She was expecting him to kiss her, wasn't she? Would she want him too? She was quite beautiful to look at. So unattainable for a guy like him. And yet…

Her lips closed over his finger tip.

Xelloss let out a small gasp of surprise followed by, "Ouch! Hey!"

He checked his fingertip for her tiny teeth marks then their eyes met. They both broke out into laughter and giggles. Silly, so silly to conceive of any kind of romance with one another! At least, not tonight.

"I'm done for. No. More. Stories!" he finally managed to say.

"Yeah, thanks. Ah…I'm tired now. 'Night, Xelloss," Filia yawned and climbed into her own bed.

"G'night, Miss Filia," Xelloss sighed and turned to face the window. "Of course, there might have been something buried in one of those sauces…meaty-like and disgusting," he whispered.

"Ughhhh. Shut up, Xelly," Filia murmured as she flung her extra pillow at him.

What luck he had! Things couldn't have worked out better if he'd planned it all out—not even if Zelgadiss had! Luck; that's what it took to get along! Xelloss smiled wearily and arranged the new pillow addition in with his own, making a kind of nest to snuggle into.

* * *

"What's that yer playin'?" Gourry asked Val. Val had been plunking away on his electric piano for a few minutes and the tunes didn't sound like Slayers'.

"The blues, dude. Last year I played with the jazz band at school occasionally. I listened to stuff and got into the blues on my own," Val explained.

"Play that one. Does it have words?" Gourry shuffled over closer, joined by Zel.

Val hummed at bit then sang in an almost monotone,

"Did ya hear? Shoutin' from the corner and over the ra-dee-o. Have ya heard the latest? Have ya heard the news? A green-haired punk dude's singin' the blues…"

Zel chuckled. "Funny, Val."

Val started another humming some-- then, "…Ya come on in wid yer hair all wet, sSmellin' of shampoo instead of sweat. You call it joggin', but I call it runnin' around."

Gourry smiled and shook his head. "You didn't make up that one, didya?"

Val shook his head, "Naw, but it's not so hard. Try it."

Zelgadiss strummed a chord on his guitar and nodded,

"Addin'… Subtractin'. Some find it relaxin'. Put it down to one more…allo-cation."

Val groaned, but Zel continued, inspired.

"If the answers aren't meetin,' it's not cheatin'. Just, put it down ta one more allo-cation. Even the right solution, won't bring you absolution…"

Val's howls finally stopped him. "No nerd math blues, dude. Here's another, "Got yer fax and yer telephone, but ya can't relax or find yer way home. When ya get to the city… better take some cash, or you'll be thrown out with the trash!"

Gourry smiled. Val grinned as he remembered another. "A Mos Allison song: If ya got to be talkin', then make it rhyme. 'Cause yer mind is on vacation and yer mouth is workin' overtime…"

"Who does that make ya think of, huh?" Val laughed at Gourry.

Zelgadiss jumped in defensively, "Hey, the guy's not here to defend himself!"

Val coughed and laughed at the same time, "What make ya think it wasn't you, huh, dude?"

Gourry signaled for Val to play again and started to sing his blues attempt,"I'm not discouraged, no… I'm not discouraged, I'm not discouraged, but… I'm getting' there. I can't drink the water, can't breathe the air, but you can't be bothered or even care. I'm not dis-illusioned, no… I'm not dis-illusioned, I'm not dis-illusioned, but… I'm getting' there."

"Hey dude…" Val said in awe.

"Gourry, that was…really good! Maybe we out to try that 'unplugged' idea we once had and sing the blues?" Zel said excitedly.

"Sure," Val agreed. "'Cept I was thinkin' maybe getting' Lina to do somethin' different. Ya know, can't ya just hear her doin' 'torch' songs?"

Gourry's eyes glazed over. "Oh yeah, man…she'd do that great."

"She'd be hot and steamy. If that's what you're getting at," Zel agreed.

All three of them looked over to where Lina, Amelia, and Sylphiel were sipping sodas and discussing potential new song possibilities for them.

"Oh yeah…" they all agreed in unison.

"Yes?" Xelloss opened the door a smidgen and adjusted his glasses.

Filia's mother and father dressed for breakfast gaped in silence for a heartbeat at the unexpected sight of the young man in what they had thought was their daughter's room. "Wrong room…so sorry…" Mr. Ul Copt muttered.

Xelloss going from near-dream state to full-consciousness in an instant scratched at the back of his head nervously. "Ah, well…no. Not if you were looking for Filia. This is her room and… now I know that this looks rather bad, but its really quite innocent… and funny when you think about it!"

He stepped aside to allow Mr. Ul Copt inside. Clearly both beds had been slept in and Filia was only now being roused from her slumber. "Xelloss shut up and go get that…" she struggled with a word a moment and rubbed her eyes, "_other_ key. And be quiet about it… and get out of here before..."

"That, Filia-dear, is too late," he said with a weak smile.

Her eyes flew open, "Daddy!"

He was standing, arms folded. In a stern voice he said, "Filia…Xelloss…I'm…very disappointed."

Her mother however entered the room smiling, "Now dear, I'm sure they have a simple explanation for all this, right?"

They did. Xelloss was a most contrite, self-effacing supplicant, begging them for their understanding while at the same time being very eager to hurry off to the office, nab a spare key, and hide forever in his own room. Mrs. Ul Copt waved him off with a chuckle and a promise from him to meet them downstairs in the dining room in ten minutes. He nodded once and slipped past the adults in a flash, grumbling to himself about trusting Filia. "She did this on purpose to get me, I just know it!"

He joined them at a table—conservatively dressed and hair brushed—placed his simple order of tea and Danish, then felt foolish for a few minutes until Filia broke the ice. "I mean, like I'd ever do anything with HIM! How could you even let a stupid idea like that pass through your minds?"

He was having a Zel moment. He nearly sank his head onto the table, but stopped himself in time.

"Well you are a very attractive young lady. Wouldn't you agree, Xelloss?" her father asked.

Talk about your setups. What could he say? No, she's a real mutt whom I would never _dream _of seducing? "Ah, yes, sir. Very."

Her mother's eyes danced with merriment. He looked so uncomfortable. Not at all like the confident young man of the night before.

"See? And being a man, I know what thoughts run through a young man's mind like Xelloss' here when he's put in…a situation like last night…" Mr. Ul Copt continued.

Oh shit. Xelloss wished with all his might that he could simply transport himself instantaneously somewhere else faraway.

Filia sniffed, "You couldn't possibly, daddy. His mind's a real mess. He was telling me about his stay in the nuthouse…"

"Sanitarium, dear," her mother corrected. "It sounds much nicer that way."

Xelloss met her eyes and smiled weakly. Gods…to just fade away into thin air…what a gift that would be!

"I wasn't meaning the _state_ of his mind, honey. I'm sure you understand that…"

Filia interrupted her father again, "Gods dad, this is Xelloss! I've seen him mostly naked remember? I told you about healing those bruises and marks he was getting? And Lina's seen him without clothes on. I mean, its no big deal. It's not like its exciting or anything…right Xelloss? We're all just band members and very mature about it all…right?"

Well…shit. Thanks Filia. Tell them all my secrets, why don't you? Okay, time to pull yourself together. Imagine that's your mother and Rezo sitting there. How would you handle it then? "Er…well…Not to mention," he straightened, "That my girlfriend would kill me if I cheated on her in anyway and Val threatened to 'have my skin' if I bothered Filia in **any**way-- and I have to share a house with that guy! So you see," he smiled at Filia's mother and father, "Filia has been perfectly safe with me all along."

And that was that.

Later in the car going home Xelloss nudged Filia in the arm and whispered, "That wasn't very nice of you…letting me sleep in like that."

Filia smiled, "Oh really? So tell me, was that you _acting_ scared to death? Cause if it was, you're a better actor than I thought."

Xelloss' eyes flashed dangerously, then he giggled, "Wait…just wait…your time will come…"

Filia's eyes went wide, then narrowed, "No…you wouldn't…"

"I'm not called the Trickster Priest for nothing!"

"I didn't even know you were _ever_ called that," She grumbled. "Jerk."

"Naughty, naughty! Filly-dear…oof!" He wheezed as she rammed an umbrella into his stomach.

"Kids! Are you fighting back there? Filia! Put that down. Your poor friend has been so nice and understanding all this time. Now don't you go and ruin the good time we've all had!" Mrs. Ul Copt admonished her daughter.

Xelloss grinned and stuck out his tongue.

Filia rolled her eyes, "Moooo-ther! He's just a geeky jerk!"

Then to both kids' horror, Mrs. Ul Copt leaned closer to her husband and whispered, "It must be love, dear."

Filia groaned, saying, "I make the biggest mistakes when I'm bored."

Xelloss opened his eyes wide, leaned in close and asked in his best imitation of her own lilt, "You're not bored now, are you? I'd be soooo insulted."

He protected his head with his arms as she clobbered him repeatedly with whatever small items her hands contacted.

"He-looooooooooooooooooo whoooooooooooo! I'm hoooo-ome! Anybody here?" Xelloss called on his way into the house he shared with Val and Zelgadiss.

Funny, he had expected at least Zelgadiss to be buried in his homework on a fine Saturday late afternoon.

"Out here!" came a muted shout from out back.

Xelloss turned to the new French doors, which opened out onto their new deck and hot tub area. Val was waving from the churning bubbles. Zel had his back to the door. Oh, how inviting!

"Be right there!" Xelloss shouted back.

Moments later he returned, dressed in his kimono top and a towel. Just what he needed to get the kinks out!

"New bruises?" Zel said after glancing briefly at Xelloss as he climbed into the tub.

"Ah, yes. From the car ride back."

"You weren't in an accident were you?" Zel asked with concern.

"Better hope so," Val muttered.

"Noooo," Xelloss said cautiously. "Filia got bored and decided to hit on me." He grinned a bit, before adding. "Literally. With an umbrella!"

Val chuckled and the tension dissipated into the warm water with the caressing bubbles.

Ring, ring

"I'll get that," Zel croaked. He nabbed the cell phone before the third ring. "Zel here. Oh, hello. Oh. Oh. I understand. At three, Sunday. Yes. We'll all be there, thank you for calling and letting us know. I'll notify everyone else. No. no trouble at all. Certainly. Good bye."

Xelloss was curious anyway, "Tomorrow, what?"

Val opened an eye, noticing the subdued atmosphere settling in.

"Ah, Hokuto's funeral. That was their grandmother. She's very worried about Subaru and hopes we'll all be there. I told her we would be, of course." Zel sighed and looked over at Xelloss.

Xelloss nodded. If only he had done something… "Of course. I'll help you make the calls to the others."

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Two.


	3. Hard Lessons Learned

Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! 

Chapter Three

Hard Lessons Learned

"If your only tool's a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail." –Gourry

* * *

The summer-like heat settled onto the small group clustered around the tiny open grave. A single lone figure garbed in a white priest's outfit, stood stock-still a step away from the opening in the earth, glassy eyes unwavering from the small urn he held in his hands. Subaru's mouth moved, perhaps saying a few last words to send his sister's remains to the eternal gods or to quell her restless spirit. Whatever it was, no one else understood. Nels Lahda and Xelloss in full priest regalia each offered words of solace and uplifting hopefulness. It was what they could do. Filia, in her pale priestess robes of the Cephied Believers whispered her prayers. By her side stood both Sylphiel and Amelia dressed also in their White Shrine priestess gowns. Dark and solemn as the night, Rezo and Mayor Philionel stood like solid pillars, between which was Subaru's grandmother who, despite being in a wheelchair, had an erect and strong posture that made her seem powerful. The kids had been surprised at how youthful she appeared. Like Rezo, the years had been kind to her.

At a motion from Nels Lahda, the grandmother wheeled forward and nudged Subaru to action. The poor kid nearly dropped the urn, but caught himself in time, then lowered it to rest upon a small cement platform below ground. He reached into a nearby basket of flower petals, and scattered a few into the grave; like the falling of Sakura petals, Hokuto's favorite flower. In a few weeks a fall chill would turn the summer green leaves to bright colors and then they would fall off, no longer useful to the trees. The trees would enter their winter summer and wait for spring. Zelgadiss had explained all this to Subaru—that now was not the time to plant a young tree; just wait a few more weeks, he'd said. Then, Subaru and he would return and plant a small cherry tree over his sister's grave. In a few years the tree would grow and drop its petals like tears over her grave to mark her passing. A few more weeks, he'd promised.

One by one, each of the onlookers followed suit, pinching up a couple petals and then dropping them into the opening. Soon the small earthen pit was filled with delicate blossoms, hiding the urn. It was time to go.

"I'll be taking Subaru back to my place for a few days," the grandmother told Zelgadiss who had asked. "He oughtn't be alone, but I know he needs to get on with his life soon."

Xelloss, who had been speaking to Subaru, sidled over to the grandmother. "We'll call you tonight and talk more. I have…some thoughts about what he might do, okay?"

The woman nodded and recited her number while he punched it into his cellphone memory. She shared a few more words with each of the adults and turned to leave, Subaru falling in to man her chair. He hadn't said a word aloud to any of them. His hair was unbrushed, his dressing the suitable priest's garb, nothing more. He was not doing well and everyone knew it. But how could he? Betrayed by the close friend who had declared his love for him repeatedly! Seishirou had hidden his true identity as an syndicate assassin then turned on and murdered Subaru's twin sister, Hokuto. Subaru had lost two of his only connections to the living world in one terrible moment, and he was only sixteen. No, he was not doing well.

The kids, without Subaru, were all gathered at Lina's. Luna had invited them to come back to her place after the funeral Sunday. She had hoped both Subaru and his grandmother would have attended, but they would not. Not this day. Another time, perhaps.

Xelloss sat on the floor backed up to a wall alone, gloomy and meditative. Zelgadiss stood by him now and then, offering him a drink and receiving an occasional grunt in reply. Xelloss was carrying the guilt of that murder on his shoulders. Zel knew that his friend would sink into a depression himself if he couldn't find a way to help Subaru.

Val, sporting a huge hangover from celebrating late the night before with Jillas and Gravos, was slumped onto the couch. His defense at the court of law Friday had been instrumental in getting his ex-friends off with a probationary sentence. Consequently, they had taken him out 'carousing'--something he had not done in a very long time. It had been a bad decision. He should have gone back to the settlement as planned, but because of the funeral the next day, he had recanted and stayed in town. And gone out. Bad decision. At the funeral his pain-stricken face fit right in, now all he wanted to do was go home.

Luna thumped into the room and pressed an ice pack to his forehead. "Stupid child!"

That out of her system, she launched into a lecture. "At least you got it straight that drugs are poisons. Well, alcohol is too!"

No, duh. Val moaned and waved her off.

"By the time you're 25, if you're still drinking enough to get sick, get hung over, or worse, then you're stupid. Plain and simple. Getting sick like that is your body's way of telling your it's being poisoned. And any one who can't learn from a mistake like that---it's damned unpleasant, isn't it Val _Agares_? It's just stupid and he deserves it! One more thought, then I'll shut up. Respect your body! Pay attention to what it's telling you! Take care of it!" Luna ran her fingers tenderly through the snarled green locks a few times then left the room.

Gourry took up the conversation from there. "Yeah, my brother thought nothin' could hurt him. Everything that happened to him…every problem, even every good thing got him drinkin'-- 'specially the problems. Bad grade, fight with his girlfriend, whatever. Shoulda talked ta dad, he woulda listened. Shoulda gotten some doctor's help."

Gourry glanced over at Xelloss, who didn't move, but his eyes were open, watching, then went on. "He didn't talk ta his other friends about stuff. Guess it wasn't macho enough. He just turned to what worked. Same thing every time. Beer made him feel better and forget his problems, I guess. Yeah…" After a moment or two he concluded, If your only tool's a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail."

"Those guys aren't good for ya any more," Gourry said pointedly to Val.

Val mumbled his agreement and threw an arm over his face, smashing the ice into his face. "Ughhhhh…"

Lina got up and put a hand on Gourry's arm. "Ease up on him now. He's not your brother and he's not gonna do this again anytime soon." Then in a rare compassionate moment, she lowered her voice and added, "I'm so sorry about your brother, Gourry. I know this day musta been tough on ya."

His sad blue eyes met her subdued red ones with unabashed fondness, "Yeah, funerals…we're too young for 'em. Thanks, Lina."

Xelloss looked away. For some reason, it made him angry inside to watch them. He was awash in emotions. The funeral had affected him more than he thought it might. Subaru. The guy had hardly spoken a word since his sister had been shot. Their grandmother had told him that he hadn't even moved from a chair in his room, until today. And, regardless of what the others thought, had Xelloss been vigilant and not distracted by his own selfish interest in Eris, he might have been able to stop the whole thing!

"Zelgadiss?'' Xelloss he whispered knowing that with his heightened hearing, Zel could detect his voice in any crowd. He caught Zel's attention from across the room where he was mingling with Amelia and Sylphiel.

Filia had gone back to the settlement with Milgasia, who had offered a ride to both kids. Val had passed. He feigned a touch of a cold coming on or something and let Zel drive everyone over to Luna's in his Suburban, then collapsed. If Milgasia guessed the true nature of Val's malaise, he had certainly said nothing and let it pass.

Zel stiffened. Xelloss needed to get out of here, he thought to himself. "I'd better go now," Zel muttered and withdrew.

"But Mr. Zelgadiss, Miss Sylphiel's father will be here anytime to take us home. Can't you wait until then?"

He checked his watch first. "All right. Five more minutes, Amelia, then we are expected at Subaru's." Zel acquiesced under the littler girl's melting gaze. It was getting harder for him push her attentiveness off as 'just a passing phase'. It was getting harder to simply ignore her. And it was most certainly becoming harder to lock away his surging male hormones and resist her pleasant company. "…Maybe six or seven minutes."

Xelloss had managed to get on his feet and stroll over to Zel's side. Inside, he smiled slightly, a secret one, hiding it from his friend. He was getting tired of being the one on the emotional roller coaster. It was about time Zelgadiss had _his_ heart ripped from his body for a change and… "What was that? Nels Lahda is stopping by?" Xelloss piped up.

"Yes. He needed the car today after the funeral and said he'd stop by after, you know…we had some time to talk here," Sylphiel answered gaily. She alone had undampened spirits that day, perhaps because until recently she had been in another world with her now 'ex'—fiancée.

"His car's coming," Zel noted. He was quite good at recognizing the sounds of his friends' vehicles and discerning them from several blocks away. What a way to use his acute hearing!

Xelloss moved to the door first, "I have an idea to pass by him first. Mind?"

Zel shook his head. "I'll keep the girls occupied."

Xelloss returned to his benign persona and smiled slyly, "I'm sure you will."

Zel frowned, "What do you mean by that?" But Xelloss had already skipped out the door.

Minutes later…

"It's all set; that is, if Subaru agrees, which I think he will." Mercurial as ever, Xelloss was now out of his funk and sporting his usual smile.

"Scheming again, Xelloss?" Lina asked as everyone was now hovering by the door to leave.

"I think Subaru'll be better off staying at the White Shrine in town, with us around him, than back with his old crowd." Xelloss looked Zel's way and got an approving nod. "So, we'll go talk to him and his grandmother about it now and pack some of his things and take him over today…or tomorrow if he'd rather. Otherwise, he'll be eventually going back to living alone in that place. And, nice as it was, it's got to be filled with memories."

"Haunted..." Lina whispered.

"He's certainly too young to be alone!" Amelia agreed.

"Will he drop you off at our place later? Or…forget that, just give me a call at home, Xelloss, if you need a ride back," Zel offered.

"Thanks," Xelloss said, then rushed out of the door on his errand of mercy.

Zel sighed a sigh of relief. He was glad Xelloss had found his own solution, at least for the time being, and rid himself of the blues.

Zelgadiss and Xelloss were talking in Zel's room at home after Xelloss had successfully convinced the grieving, nearly comatose Subaru to move into the White Shrine in town. Xelloss would now be spending more time there again.

Zelgadiss was typing up their last lab report for school the next day, when the computer made an odd noise. Xelloss jumped a foot.

"What?" Zel looked at Xelloss wondering what had bothered him so much.

"Ha! Ah…that's one of my mental cues."

"You don't say," Zel replied dryly. Not another of _these_ fuzzy conversations. It had been awhile, but it meant that Xelloss was entering a happier, though restive state.

"You see," Xelloss continued not bothered by Zel's indifference. "I hear a word, or in this case a particular sound, and it reminds me to…Well, just what that was is not at issue here, is it?"

"Or…is it?" Zel smirked.

"No, it's isn't. I follow the little thoughts and make the connection inside here," Xelloss pointed to his forehead. "And my brain answers: 'What's up?'"

"Go on…" Zel sighed. Xelloss was examining Zel's expression trying to figure out what Zel had meant. "That look was just me being happy that your brain and you are, in fact, in close association."

Xelloss scrunched up his face, and then went on, "It asks me 'what's up?'"

"You're repeating yourself now," Zel smiled smugly.

"UP!" Xelloss raised his voice. "And I say: 'You tell me!' and it answers…"

"This is still just the two of you, right?" Zel chuckled.

"Yes. Me and my brain's central clearinghouse, which answers: 'Wow!'"

"That all?" Zel asked.

"Don't you see? I get this cue, a signal reminding me about something important, but I hadn't filled in the factoid. So when I get there and all I get back is 'Yeah, you expecting something?' Kinda disappointing really." Xelloss flopped back onto Zel's bed.

Zel just stared at his friend, "…"

"Weird, huh?" Xelloss smiled faintly, eyes closed. "Stuff like that happen to you?"

"Never."

"Really? I thought everyone…"

"No," Zel assured him. "No one but you. You are unique in yet another oddball way. Must be the wiring."

"Huh? Oh…wiring…Well, I have so many ideas, things to do. Helping Subaru cope… The dance studio… The musical with Lina… Creating a recording studio…"

"After we do that free recording we won from the battle of the bands," Zel reminded him. "Not to mention school…"

"Hmmm, that doesn't really fit in very well, but I'll finish this year, like I promised you."

"At least you got that stupid notion about getting married and starting a …family out of your head."

"Too bad about that swimming instructor, eh? I guess two scarred messed up guys like us didn't compete with that hunky weight training boyfriend of hers."

Zel smiled down at his friend, "No, I guess not. On the other hand, you can swim the width of a pool now."

"Yes. But I still hate the water. And my hair…I have to work in conditioner _before _I get it wet and it still smells like chlorine! No… like I said a week ago, I don't even want to date anyone anymore. I hate the games." Xelloss pounded on the bed with his fist.

"Strange…coming from you. You were always the player, the game master."

"Not…" Xelloss swallowed and covered his eyes with an arm. "…When it h-hurts so much."

Zelgadiss shook his head, "Sorry about Eris. So, how about we leave this abode and join Val out at the TV for some ice cream. He picked up something new he wants you to try." Zel simply hated to discuss personal things and avoided it whenever and however he could.

Xelloss took a shaky deep breath and controlled his emotions. "Okay, little brother. I'm coming."

They were all three settled into comfortable chairs or the sofa in the front room, savoring their dessert.

"You watch this Di-cov-er-ee Channel much?" Val asked.

Zel and Xelloss shook their heads from opposite chairs. Val continued, "Yeah, this one's been talkin' 'bout differences between the males and the fe-males."

"Genetic diversity due to hormones," Zel said succinctly.

Val shot him a dark look. "The presence of tes-tos-ter-one in particular, compartmentalizes males' brains, especially in us male teenagers so we don't express our e-mo-tions well."

"Well said!" Xelloss smiled without concern for what was being said.

"Well _some_ of us," Zel noted while looking at Xelloss, who then shrugged in response. "I've read about those studies in England and I don't think that it covers or explains all the many exceptions well at all."

Val nodded. "I figured you out," he said meeting Xelloss' eyes.

Xelloss raised an eyebrow, "Be nice."

Val waved him off, "Yeah, like why ya gotta tell us about yer feelings all the time and overreact and cry so much."

"I don't cry…"

"Yes you do, now shut up and listen to Val. I'm curious," Zel snapped.

"It's not cause yer gay or nothin'…'cause yer not. And yer not girly—I wasn't gonna say that neither! But yer brain lost its compartments with all those hits to the head. Scrambling' things up. Broke up the se-par-a-tors dividin' the left from the right and there ya go—yer got in touch with yer fe-mi-nine side! See? Nothin' wrong with ya at all! Pretty good, huh?"

Zel nodded, "Could be."

Xelloss narrowed his eyes. "It's not scrambled. You are thinking of eggs."

* * *

The moment Xelloss and Zelgadiss stepped over the threshold to the school, they wished they hadn't. Blood drive. What with ballets and funerals, it had passed out of their memories, both of them!

"We could turnaround and go out to lunch," Zel suggested.

"Too late," Xelloss said with a faint smirk. "Here comes your little vampy admirer."

"That's vam-_pire _today, Xelloss," Zel corrected him. Although, in that oh-so revealing tank top and skimpy shorts, maybe Xelloss wasn't so far off the mark.

"Oh good, I was afraid you might not make it in time. Mr. Val's saving you a place in line," Amelia said breathlessly.

"You ran all the way from the gym to meet us?" Xelloss smiled.

"Of course!" She grinned and led them to the line to fill out questionnaires and get further instructions. "I'm going to check on Miss Lina and Miss Filia. They're already resting. Mr. Gourry and Miss Sylphiel are still 'giving'."

"How…nice," Xelloss said with no conviction, watching her flit off.

"Your name?" asked the nurse.

"Zelgadiss Greywords. That's 'Grey' with an 'e' not an 'a' and Zelgadiss with a 'Z'."

She checked a list of names, then satisfied that his name was not on it, shoved a paper and pen in his hands. "Read these instructions and sign on the line then take a seat over there," she said waving off to an open doorway. "Next!"

"Xelloss Metallium. That's with an 'X' not a 'Z'," he smiled.

She scanned her list, then stopped, frowned, and looked up, "I'm sorry, but you may not be a donor."

"Say what?" he asked taken aback. "Why not?"

"Well, um…" she hesitated and looked over her shoulder for help. She managed to get their attention of another woman assisting at the table, who offered to take him aside and explain.

Why were they so reluctant to talk to him? What could possibly be the problem? What was the big secret? Xelloss was seated in the nurse's office waiting. He waited a _long_ while. This was getting absurd! He was about to get up and leave, when the school nurse blocked his way with her clipboard. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Metallium, but I wanted to check your file first to be certain no mistake was made."

"And?" he prompted her, his growing annoyance evident in his voice…

"Well first of all. I'd like to express my deepest sympathy for the loss of your mother last term. I always considered it an honor working for her."

"Didn't we all…" he muttered. "So, about my _problem_?"

"It's the rules of the blood-collecting agency young man, not mine. Here, you can read their disclaimer yourself."

Okay, he would. "It says here that no male homosexuals may participate. I am not gay," he nearly growled. "As if it's anyone's business."

"Not just gay, but any boys participating in male-male sex are unconditionally…"

"What do you mean? I don't…I haven't…I…" he sputtered, truly incensed.

"Our records show from the…hospital that you had frequent…"

Records? That was private material! How were his medical records open books at his high school? He frowned and looked at her levelly, "That…was YEARS ago, nearly five! I was attacked." He stood up and yanked up the bottom of his shirt to reveal a wedge of skin marred with ritualized laceration marks. "I was raped…repeatedly…and nearly murdered by m-my stepfather."

She ripped her eyes from his tear-filled, haunted eyes. "I know…and…if it were up to me…I'd…"

"I. Have. Had. Every… Blood test _possible_ for years. I carry no diseases! You can verify that with my doctor. I'll call!" he ranted defensively.

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure most of the other boys…are clean as well, but it doesn't matter. The blood collecting agency will take no chances and so forces us to scan the records and pull anyone who does not match their criteria." She was calming down now that she had 'the rules' to back her up. "It's the case with _all_ the blood drive organizations."

"It's not fair. That means all gay guys would have to lie to give blood then…as well as a multitude of other innocents…" he mused pointedly leaving himself out of the thought.

"That's why they ask us to scan the records at the school first," she said smugly.

His eyes latched onto hers again. "How did those records get here?"

"I suppose your mother had them sent here when you were enrolled. You were on medication at the time for severe…"

"I know…don't tell me about it. It was…a mistake. Zelas…" his hands clenched into fists. "that BITCH!" he howled and hammered the desk hard enough to crack off two of its legs.

Zelgadiss had been beckoned into the gymnasium, when he noticed that Xelloss had been pulled to the side and had now been gone several minutes. A nurse was swabbing his arm and about to insert the needle when Xelloss' angry voice carried into the room. Zel sat up abruptly.

"Oh now, you must lie still, young man," the nurse scolded him.

"I'll be right back," he muttered and scampered out of the room. He caught sight of Val, who'd been lingering around aimlessly for awhile.

"Yeah, I heard him," Val shouted. "Go on back, I'll take care of Xelly-boy."

Zel returned to the gymnasium, hoping that Val _could_ 'take care of' Xelloss. As he returned to his gurney, with the bothered nurse, Lina waved and gave him a 'what's up?' look. He shook his head and then allowed himself to be positioned and drained. Blood, needles, Xelloss…any number of things could be 'up' and certainly any number of them had a damn good chance of going wrong.

Val found Xelloss before any member of the staff did, and hauled him out of the office, down the hall, and out to his car. He opened the side door and pushed Xelloss inside, slamming it shut, then climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. "Wait," was all he said as drove out of the high school parking lot and around the block, tracing a familiar path. They came to a halt at the park. "Get out. We'll talk over there."

Xelloss silently followed Val over to a picnic bench and plopped down on the table, resting his feet on the seat. He let his head fall to his arms, which lay folded across his knees.

Val said nothing.

It was Xelloss who finally spoke. "I-It's not fair. They wouldn't let me…"

"Me neither."

Xelloss raised his head and looked askance at his friend. "It wasn't about the drugs."

"Me neither." Val stared at Xelloss. And there they sat. For several minutes. The only sounds coming from the busy squirrels in the branches overhead.

Then Val spoke, "Didn't know hospitals disclosed that information, did ya? Kids ain't got no privacy, if their parents don't bother to protect 'em."

Xelloss shook his head, "My _mother_ released it to them." He muttered the words then stopped. "How did you know I was raped?"

Val shrugged. "I saw yer name on the list early, when I was cut. Anyone as badly abused as you…I just figured."

"And you, too…Gaav?"

Val shook his head, "Nah…older guys in the house." His expression said 'let's not talk about this any more.'

Xelloss agreed and they sat together in communal silence sharing their awful grief and shame, which made it a little bit less sharp.

After a time, Val nudged him. "Come on, dude. Better get back. Don't wanna miss my next class."

Xelloss smiled faintly.

Val grinned, "Yeah…_I_ said that. Pretty con-vo-luuuted comin' from me, huh?"

Xelloss just shook his head. "Nothing coming from you will surprise me ever again. Not after today."

Xelloss never thought of Val the same way again because they now shared a secret, an ugly truth about one another instead of from one another.

When they were all reunited in the Japanese class, Amelia bounded up to Xelloss and Val. "What happened to you guys? You just ran off!" She sounded disappointed, and probably was.

Before Xelloss could spit out his trademark line 'that's a secret,' Val intervened with his own explanation. "Crappy nurse couldn't get the fu((&ing needle in his arm right. He freaked out and I had ta get him outta there before the blood spurtin' all over made him pass out."

"Oh poor Mr. Xelloss!" Amelia patted his arm gently. "Maybe next time things will go smoother."

Xelloss smiled, "I hope you are right, Miss Amelia."

* * *

Monday ended with a practice bringing the entire Slayers band back together. Lina worked them through the new songs, as far as they had gotten with them. Val's 'My Heart Burns' was sounding very tight and menacing already. Xelloss and Lina's 'Sexy, Sexy' wasn't bad, except for Gourry's occasionally and inexplicably faltering bass line. Lina refused to perform any of their secret dance routine yet, but did have something to say about Joey, Gourry's middle school brother.

"Joey'll do great. He's takin' to Xelloss' drum lessons like a gull to garbage," Lina cackled at her own jab at Filia's current pet name for Xelloss, namagomi, or 'raw garbage' in Japanese.

Xelloss was not amused by either Filia or Lina. After his weekend ballet event, he thought Filia would continue to treat him with what little new respect she had shown him then, but alas, it was not to happen. Her sharp tongue was honed and ready to lash out at him still. He was regretting baring his soul and telling her about his past. Maybe Zelgadiss was right about hiding himself in a shell. There no one could touch his sensitive parts. He was so immersed in his own dark thoughts that he missed entirely Lina and Gourry's run through of their new duet. It wasn't ready for the drums yet anyway.

Lina and Zelgadiss sang through their duet, a cover of a rocker called 'Future Century Secret Club.' Val and Gourry practiced a background instrumental part, but it still needed Zel's guitar and they couldn't decide whether or not to have anyone solo an instrumental interlude or not.

All-in-all the practice went okay, just a little rough at times.

After the band practice broke up that afternoon, Amelia attempted to rally the forces for another project. "It's about this weekend! Usually daddy and I go together to collect the pumpkins for the mansion and to pickup a few crate of apples for the cold storage…but he can't go this year!" she nearly cried, but sniffled instead. "I just know you'll all come and help me. I couldn't possibly carry them all by myself!"

"Ah…I'd like to, Amelia, but I still gotta help ma dad on that house. We only gotta few more weeks of good weather ta count on and the roof's gotta be done and the sides sealed up," Gourry said apologetically.

"Oh nuts…but you can, right, Mr. Val?" Amelia's eyes glittered with tears.

"No, he missed last weekend at the settlement and this year he's going to contribute to our harvest festival and so has lots to learn, right?" Filia gave him a little dig between his ribs.

"Yeah…sure," he snarled, but he didn't look too out of sorts about it.

Sylphiel also had to bow out due to family obligations.

"Sure," Lina agreed. "As long as I get back in time to do some writing and I get lunch, right?"

"Yes, of course, and it's always something delicious and super special." Amelia turned toward Zel and Xelloss, who were out of excuses.

"They'll come, 'cause they gotta come by my place and bring me over. What time did you say?" Lina asked with a grin.

However, Lina paled when Amelia said, "Eight o'clock sharp! It's a long way and the driver has to be back at a particular time to pick up daddy."

"What! And it's my only morning to sleep in!" Both Lina and Xelloss moaned most inharmoniously. Actually, he whined, she groaned, and it came out as a loud honk.

"All right," Zelgadiss sighed, but with a faraway look in his eyes and a whimsical smile spreading across his face. He'd never been pumpkin picking or up to the apple groves in the mountains. It would be a new experience and sounded…well, fun.

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Three.


	4. An Apple A Day

Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! 

Chapter Four

An Apple a Day…

"You're not disillusioned. You're delusional. Move over!" --Filia

* * *

The morning announcements could be heard loud and clear, crispy read by someone who was not 'verbally challenged' for a change: "There will be an all-school announcement of the new principal in the gymnasium at the end of the school day. All class periods have been shortened today…"

That was the impromptu announcement which Xelloss and Zelgadiss missed that morning, being hunched over their desks at the university taking a math examination. They arrived at school just in time to have missed lunch and go on to their next class. Lucky for them, they could feed off their classmate's bad feelings in place of ordinary nourishment, Lina teased in literature class.

"I would like each of you to experience a cultural event in the next few weeks and write a review of it. In preparation, we will be reading… Yes…Xelloss?" the teacher sighed.

"I just attended the ballet in Atlas City last weekend, can I write about that?"

"Yes, that would be fine. Something more?"

"Yes," he smiled. "Can we work with a partner?"

"Yes. I was going to describe the review process in a few moments, but since we are now on the subject… If you attend the cultural event with a friend in class, you may both submit a single review which expresses both your views or in which you divide up the tasks equitably." The teacher then continued to describe the assignment, using examples from the local newspapers for example. Their reading assignment would include a torrent of historical reviews awash in varied styles and opinions.

"Oh, and before any of you ask," the teacher looked pointedly over in Xelloss' direction. This teacher knew how to handle the bright trickster. "I will accept papers via my e-mail account the day that they are due and I have no fax."

Xelloss smiled at Filia and passed her a note, which she pretended hadn't come from him as she read it. Surreptitiously, she nodded his way, not certain why she was agreeing to working with him except that it would get it over and done with soon.

Zelgadiss could think of no cultural events in town that interested him. What a nuisance! Maybe something was opening at the university? He quietly opened his notebook and removed a 'What's Happening?' college paper. Turning to the music pages a quick scan cooled his ardor in the project, then he noticed a new art show to open Wednesday in the art gallery. He circled it and handed it off to Lina for her opinion.

Lina was off in 'Slayers—the Musical' land when Zel's piercing gaze and folded up paper caught her eye. Anime cels as art, huh? She nodded her approval and turned her attention to whatever the teacher was droning on about. This class was turning out to be another waste of her valuable time, and she had hoped it would be her best one! What she wanted to do was write and work on that musical. Too bad that couldn't be a class!

Why shouldn't it be? It would be a lot of work—writing, reading, drama, music, business, all wrapped up into one big package. How could she get that re-packaged into class credits? Then she could drop the rest of this crap, well most of it, and really get down to learning something. Now she was on a roll and her mind traipsed briskly down that path for the rest of the period. And the next…and the next.

"Do we care who the next principal is?" Xelloss asked disinterestedly.

"No." That was Zel settling onto a bleacher seat nearby.

"Good. Then I am not just becoming apathetic as well as disillusioned."

"You're not disillusioned. You're delusional. Move over!" Filia demanded.

"Move over to where? Gourry's lap? And if you think _that's_ a thrill, then its _you_ who's delusional," Xelloss returned.

"Well I'm _not_ sitting all scrunched up next to _you_," Filia huffed.

"I will!"

"Ah, Miss Amelia to save the day." Xelloss flashed her a smile and patted the seat at his side.

Filia slid in behind them, next to Zelgadiss just as another kid hopped up. "You seen Hitomi anywhere?"

"Van?" Zel had to do a double take. Van's dark mop of hair looked like it may have actually been trimmed within the past few months, perhaps even brushed, and he appeared to have added a few much-needed pounds and inches. "No. She's not around yet. Some of the classes got out earlier than others. You can sit here if you want." He gestured to the empty space about to shrink on his other side.

His last few words were difficult to hear over an annoying combination of squeals and giggles. "Look over there! It's the Slayers!"

Van shook his head, "I think not. You guys seem to be attracting a fan following that's noisy. It's okay, I'll catch you at lunch tomorrow." Van looked around, and finding the object of his not-so-secret affections, made a mad dash in that direction.

Val dove for the spot, taking Van's place beside Zelgadiss, "Why I'm doin' this…I don't know. I should take off and go skatin'. Gourry? Not too late, huh?"

Gourry looked like he was about to take Val up on his suggestion, when Lina pounded on them both. "You're not going without me and I wanna see who this guy is, seeing as how I'm gonna be needing some favors from him if I want my year to go like I want."

Before Zel could pump her for clarification, the assistant principal took to the podium amid the squealing microphone and the roaring student body, eventually getting around to the point behind calling the assembly.

"…Previously the superintendent of schools to the far north…blah, blah, blah…I'm am pleased to introduce the new principal of Seyruun High School, Mr. Daniel Grauscherra."

Xelloss' eyes flew open and he emitted a wheezing sound with a sharp intake of breath.

Zelgadiss noticed and bent forward. "What? You know the man?"

Xelloss shook his head, "No, no… just one of those…false signals going off. I have heard the name before, but, well…it's not all that rare a name is it?"

"No. A girl graduated here last year named Grauscherra. Smart. In my math class. No problem then?" Zel repeated to make certain Xelloss was leveling with him.

"I don't believe so," Xelloss beamed back over his shoulder. Turning to Amelia he asked politely if she could see.

"No. I wish I'd gotten some of those tall genes my sister got."

"Would you like to sit on my lap? You'd be able to see him. The student council sophomore class president ought to be able to recognize the principal, right?"

"Mr. Xelloss, what a good idea! If you don't mind…oh," she added with a bright smile. "And I'm not president yet. The elections are this Friday."

Kagome, sitting at Xelloss feet, turned and looked up. Seeing Amelia on her perch, she smiled and mouthed a 'thanks for the new guy,' then turned back around to listen to the next speaker.

"I'll be sure to vote." Xelloss smiled but his eyes traced a line back and forth from Kagome to Amelia.

"I know you will vote this year, even if you can't vote for me, since you're a senior. You are a senior, right? You are sure I'm not too heavy?" she asked again, now from her new vantage point atop his knees.

"Not at all. Junior, senior …or something," he mused to himself. "What _new_ guy?"

Amelia smiled, "My idea from last year! Instead of just any old kid who happened to pass by the office at the time reading the morning announcements, we now have a new position on the student council, communications officer!"

Xelloss opened his mouth to ask, "Who…?"

However, any further discussion on their part was interrupted by Sylphiel's little squeals of delight from behind them.

"Ooooh, is he ever a handsome man!" she directed to Amelia, but actually said in Xelloss' ear. "Dark blue hair and tall. Must be from the far north."

"That's what they said. Shhh, he's talking now," Xelloss sat back and paid attention to the speaker.

"…And I will be looking forward to meeting each and every one of you personally, so don't be alarmed when you get a note from the office to see me. Although, maybe a few of you should!"

A few embarrassed giggles could be heard. The man waved, stepped down, and the room broke up into noisy chaos as hundreds of students packed into the gym all tried to talk or leave or both at the same time.

Sylphiel continued where she'd left off. She had been gushing over the new principal's fine aristocratic features and expressive eyes. Filia shivered as she stood up. "I don't know, the man gives me the creeps, though I don't know why yet…but I will. He's too slick and…happy."

Zelgadiss had to agree. His rising paranoia was about to assert itself again, when he found himself encircled with 'little girls' pawing at his hair and admiring his earrings. This he was not prepared for. When had the Slayers become so popular?

"Come on, studly," Lina growled, grabbing him by the wrist and giving his arm a good yank. "I need a ride home."

Zel blushed and excused himself abruptly from the crowd. This was turning out to be a very odd school year!

In the car ride home, Xelloss sat, legs stretched out along the back seat of the small sports car allowing Lina to sit up front next to Zelgadiss. "So are you sure the guy doesn't blow off some alarms in yer head, Xelloss? No? Okay, well…nuts…I need an edge. I need a break. I've been thinkin' about goin to school half-time and devoting my time to producing this musical. By my figuring, that's gotta be worth a writing class, music, drama…history, too, maybe. But I gotta convince him to let me. You'd have to do it too for this to work out." She had directed the last statement toward Xelloss.

"Really?" he opened his eyes, then smiled them shut again. "That could ease up on my life some. Otherwise, there's no time for me to do anything. Yes, I do like that idea. I'll work on a plan."

"You do that," Lina agreed, slapping her open hand on the seat for emphasis.

Xelloss droned on, "We'll need some teachers, staff to back us up. That…will be challenging."

"Hey, thanks for the ride," Lina shouted as she jumped out of the car. "Oh and you have quite a cult following now at school, Zel, as you've just noticed. That 'elf' thing's gotten around. Lucky you're gone in the morning and have people like me to protect you."

Zel rolled his eyes, "Thank you, Sir Lina. I am forever in your debt."

Xelloss hopped out to walk her to her door, "Don't _I_ have a following, Lina?"

"Ah, yes…I think Gourry's sisters have made you out to be the hottest drummer since the WHO's guy. You are very popular with the younger girls, 'course holding Amelia on your lap like that probably discouraged a few today."

Xelloss laughed, "Too bad for me! Bye Lina."

"Yeah sure. Later," she shrugged and slammed the door on her way into her house.

"You two seem to be getting along better these days," Zel noted on the drive back to their place. "In fact, you seem to be getting on nicely with Amelia and Filia as well."

"Hmmm, I'm trying. Girls really do make the best of friends, I think." He gave Zel a little wink and said, "They like to open up and reveal their feelings, sometimes."

Zel didn't respond, obviously, so Xelloss went on, "Amelia is especially good company. I find her to be smart, funny and kind." He looked over at Zel to judge his response. "You're very lucky to have someone like her so…crazy about you."

Zel just sighed and shook his head, but he didn't deny it, this time. "She looked happy with you this afternoon."

"When I visited her the other day…when she'd been barred from seeing you…me too, but that's beside the point. We talked for a while, mostly about you. Even if she doesn't turn out to be 'the one' for you, Zelgadiss, she deeply admires you and will always be one of your defenders, or lawyer, should you need one someday. I think she'd make a dandy one, don't you?"

Zel smiled, "She'd be a tough opponent. Oh, what's on the schedule for tonight? Is this swimming or chem lab?"

"I don't know-- my head's swimming, does that count?" Xelloss smiled and then giggled inanely. "Oh, you said we needed doggy food this morning."

Zel slapped his hand to his head. "I forgot! Thanks. Damn…I'm losing it today."

"Must be all those starry-eyed girl-fans. Threw you for a loop, huh? You looked shocked!"

"I had no idea…Well, I'm certain it won't last. They'll figure out that I'm just some scarred up nerd and leave me alone soon."

"Maybe," Xelloss said in a low voice. "If it were true…"

"What's that sensational smell?" Lina asked as she climbed into the mayor's van Saturday morning.

"Some goodies for our lunch. Our cook's fixed us up. It's making my mouth water too!" Amelia cried as she climbed in after Lina.

Zelgadiss was checking a new nick on the side of his car and grumbling about school parking lots as Xelloss followed Amelia into the van. Where to sit? Amelia was busy rearranging their jackets in the back, leaving the seat beside Lina open. Should he assume she'd be sitting with Lina? Would it be too presumptuous of him to take it? He smiled. Imagine that, he was considering the consequences of one of his actions. How…mature of him.

"Go on," came Zelgadiss' voice from behind. "What would you do if there were twice as many open seats to choose from?"

"Want company?" Xelloss asked Lina, a cheerful smile on his face. Mine, in particular? He thought to himself.

"Yeah, suit yourself. I wanted to discuss that plan of yours anyway," Lina answered. She scooted over to the window to make more room for Xelloss on the bench-style seat.

"Mr. Zelgadiss? You don't mind me sitting by you, do you? The driver wants to remove the other seats now to make room for all the pumpkins and crates we'll be carrying later."

Carrying… Ah, so that was how it would be. Beasts of burden… "Fine." Zelgadiss slid into the seat all the way to the window. "Be my guest."

At that moment, the driver, a young man in his late twenties, stuck his head in the side door and said, "It's going to be hot at the pumpkin patch, but a lot colder up in the mountains where we're going to pick up the apples, so before we head on off…I want to make sure all you guys have brought coats."

"I already checked and we're okay!" Amelia answered. Then they were off. 8:30 on a Saturday morning!

By the time they were out in the country, the early fall sun had warmed the air sure enough.

"What are we waiting for?" Lina asked as she unbuttoned her black and white striped shirt. The yellow tank top would be fine today.

"The hay wagon!" Amelia giggled excitedly. "Horse-drawn and everything! It will take us out to the pumpkin patch."

"Horses?" Xelloss echoed in a hoarse voice. He was not a country boy at heart. Fresh air was fine, but give him a city with its noisy chaos any day. And horses! He liked them less than dogs.

Zelgadiss, on the other hand, drew in the dry dusty air heavy with the scent of hay with a deep breath. This was wonderful! He had so rarely been out in the country, practically never as a child. Here, he felt so alive surrounded by the sounds and smells of myriad of living things. He tore off his concealing sweatshirt and shook out his wiry locks. Wearing a grin and a thin t-shirt, he was ready for anything!

Xelloss frowned, "Why are you so happy?"

"Because…" Zel searched for the right comeback. "You aren't! You look out of your element, big brother."

Xelloss raised an eyebrow. Zelgadiss must be in a truly good mood to call him that! Well, in that case, he'd have to enjoy the day a bit more. "Wait until you have to untangle straw from your hair, then you'll understand."

"Why don't you get your hair cut real short, Mr. Xelloss, since yours seems to give you so much grief?" Amelia asked.

"A-Amelia!" He turned to her with such an expression of combined shock and horror that Zelgadiss exploded into a fit of laughter. Xelloss sighed, "I hope that gives you a tummy ache…little brother." Then looking away he pointed out, "Oh looky, our chariot cometh!"

Lina had been looking over the produce and had snagged a bag of fresh roasted peanuts for a quarter. "Hey, is that our hayride?"

"No thank you," Xelloss turned away Lina's offer of nuts. "Breakfast?"

"Mine?" Lina asked. "Hell no! Snack. Good too! Amelia?"

Amelia nodded and greedily grabbed a few and cracked them open.

Zelgadiss shook his head. "You should know better, Lina. Xelloss prefers food whose true nature has been disguised. Food-in-the-raw is quite out of his realm."

"That's not…entirely true!" Xelloss interceded. "I eat fruit!"

"As long as it's been washed and pared, polished, peeled, or otherwise prepared so that it is unblemished."

"So?" Xelloss didn't see the point.

"You can pick an apple right off the tree later today, Mr. Xelloss! It will taste so amazing!"

"Oh." Xelloss was not thrilled or convinced. He tentatively removed his dark olive twill shirt and tied it at his waist. He felt a bit exposed in his rusty red tank, but if Zel was brave enough, then he'd deal with it too.

They were joined on the wagon by two older women, one in her fifties and the other twenty or so years older, also a teenage boy and his little brother were settling in. The horses hauled and they were jostled and jiggled over the rutted road past corn fields, recently harvested and now sporting the brilliant yellow and orange faces of sunflowers amongst the tumble of cornstalks.

Zel brushed a fall of silvery, lavender hair out of one eye and locked eyes with the little boy staring unabashedly at his face. "What happened to you?" the courageous child asked.

Amelia sucked in a gasp, but she needed have worried. Zelgadiss closed his eyes a moment then replied in a soft gentle voice before the older brother could drag the boy away, "I was in a accident when I was…just a little older than you."

The boy scrunched up his face. "You're not an ay-lee-an?"

Xelloss laughed at that. "Close! He's an _elf._ The ears are a dead giveaway. He tries to pass it off with that old 'accident' story, but you're pretty smart and saw through it!"

The older ladies chuckled. At first, they were a bit leery of joining this group of flashy youngsters, but it seemed they were well mannered and capable of sitting still. Entertaining as well, it seemed.

"You're part of that rock band. I heard about ya. Well, I read the paper and you guys won the battle of the bands, right?" the older brother asked.

Lina nodded, "Yeah, kinda. Best _new_ band, the Slayers. We're from Seyruun High. You?"

"GW Tech. You know a couple of guys…ah, Duo and Heero? Yeah? Friends of friends in a band at that contest thing, too, you know how it is. Ah, sorry 'bout the nosy little brother."

Zel shrugged his shoulders, "I'm…used to it by now. Duo and Heero are friends of yours, right Amelia?"

She started in telling the new kid all about their school and mutual friends, filling the gap of time before the wagon finally came to a creaking halt.

"Time to gather pumpkins!" Amelia announced.

"How many do you want?" Lina asked stretching her arms in the warm sun.

"At least thirty of the very biggest you can find."

"THIRTY!" Xelloss choked.

"They're for the mansion. Remember how pretty they all looked last year on the fence out front? Zelgadiss' party…come on, don't give me that look, you remember!" Amelia slapped at his arm as he shook his head giving her a dumbbell imitation.

"He might not," Zel said in a lowered tone. "He'd had that fall earlier and all."

"Oh, I'd forgotten! That was when you were just becoming such good friends and about to find out how connected you were." Amelia smiled. "That was so long ago!"

"THIRTY!" Xelloss was still struggling with the numbers. BIG ONES. Heavy ones. Dirty, muddy, on-the-ground and itchy, scratchy, prickly…

"Be sure to only pick out ones with a long stem on top! That's real important!" Amelia called out. "Oh here's one real close, you can get this one for me, Mr. Xelloss."

He looked askance at her cheerful look, unmoving.

"Might as well go and get this done. The sooner its over the sooner we get up into the mountains," Zel smirked, passing by him in pursuit of a pumpkin Lina was hopping around. "…and those fresh, natural, organic, _worm-infested _apples…heh, heh…"

"Oh joy…" Xelloss muttered.

"Hey!" Zel barked back.

"Hay…yourself!" Xelloss smiled and pointed to Zel's hair, sporting a few dry sprigs.

It was hot, heavy work. For a few minutes, Lina and Amelia found the babies and Zel and Xelloss hefted them to the wagon. After a while, though when that wasn't making as much progress as Amelia had hoped, the boys were given their own wagons and sent out on missions to find pumpkins themselves.

Zelgadiss had an impeccable knack for finding perfect, unblemished, bright orange, round ones. Xelloss, on the other hand, did not. Each time he spied what he believed to be a nice one, the hidden side would expose a lump, or a rotten spot or some other malformation. "Hideous," he grumbled to himself. "They're all hideous. And dirty, and molding, and it's hot out here and nasty and I wish I'd never come! I'm just a servant, a farm-hand! And they're all UGLY!" he kicked one, which was warty and half-green and looked like it had been folded over in half. Out of spite, he began to collect the ugliest, most horrible pumpkins he could find—that weren't rotting and slimy, that is. He was far too finicky for that!

After a while, he came upon Zel, who was looking infuriatingly happy with his shirt soaked in sweat and his hands covered in dirt. Xelloss' glare only intensified when he caught sight of Zel's wagon full of perfect, smooth, orange orbs.

"You have a lot," Zel noticed. "I didn't think you would have been so industrious. Let me see them…" he leaned over the haul of hag-pumpkins.

Xelloss smirked. This would be a fun reaction to see…

"These are great!" Zel laughed. "Wow, yours are so cool! They have so much personality, so much character! All I saw were the round ones, but these are really something!" admiringly, he lifted up one with so many bulbous lumps it almost looked like a face already, and another that had three curves and a green spot.

Xelloss blinked. "But they're all…so…"

"You don't like them? Why'd you pick them up?" Zel wondered.

"They were the only ones I could find…"

"Well, then…let's trade!" Zel grinned, feeling smug that he'd figured it all out again. "You can haul in the perfect ones, and I'll take your beautiful warpies. We'll see who gets the praise!"

"Fine with me, little brother…" Xelloss smiled.

Dusting her hands, Lina grinned, "That was fun, Amelia. What else can we get them to carry?"

"Us, if there's no room to ride," Amelia said as she looked over the laden wagon. Luckily, the other riders had already climbed aboard with their meager findings.

Xelloss and Zelgadiss lumbered over to join Lina at the wagon. Zel gave him a look that said, 'now wait and let them be overwhelmed…'

Amelia's eyes swept over Zel's batch, dismay washing over her, "Oh those…are… will be quite a challenge to carve, Mr. Zelgadiss."

Zel blinked.

Lina, having given Xelloss' collection a quick and silent once-over, looked to see what Amelia meant. Her eye's widened, her heart skipped a beat. "Zel! These are awesome! Horridly, awfully, ugly and…I can see the most grotesque face I could carve outta that one…and that one! It will be even worse!" She slapped Zel on the back with a sharp laugh, "Way ta go!"

Zelgadiss gave her his little half-smile and nodded, "Thanks. Glad you approve."

Amelia smiled weakly and turned to Xelloss, afraid to see his choices. If Zelgadiss picked those lumpy specimens, what kind of monsters did Xelloss come up with?

"Oh! Mr. Xelloss! How perfect! These will make such cute faces! They're soooo wonderful!"

Xelloss nearly drowned in her cloying wave of excitement.

"Okay, okay, Amelia," Lina said. "So where are we going to sit?"

The older woman smiled serenely and offered a suggestion of her own. "We've saved two seats over here. Come on boys and girls…" she winked knowingly at the two boys, then said to Lina, "I don't think those two young men will mind you little things on their laps for the ride back."

"Beats walking," Lina agreed.

Xelloss made a point of looking over the two girls. "Maybe Amelia…she's small and therefore the lightest." He wrapped his hands around her waist and tested her weight.

Amelia giggled and blushed.

"Hey!" Lina pushed Xelloss' arm away. "I'm hardly taller and I'm…well…light-weight!"

Zelgadiss rolled his eyes. How could Lina have fallen into that trap?

Lina batted Xelloss hands away, though, and ordered, "You don't need to test me. Just go nab a seat!"

"Mr. Zelgadiss? I guess that means you get…"

"That's right. I'm not a very soft cushion, I'm warning you." He climbed up and over pumpkins and legs behind Xelloss and squeezed into the remaining space.

Xelloss made a face and whispered, "How cozy…You weren't being suggestive back there were you?"

Zel watched a creepy smile spread over his friend's face. "What?"

"Just watch what gets hard," Xelloss whispered into his pointed ear. "Zel-gaaadiss…"

Zelgadiss choked, sputtered, and blushed. Had he had the space, he would have punched Xelloss good and hard, but Lina and Amelia were pushing through. He had to make due with a very frosty blue-eyed glare.

"Quit wiggling!" Lina slapped Xelloss on the knee.

"This hay bail is itchy and I'm hot and something's sticking into my side," he whined.

"It's gonna get worse if you don't sit still, " she warned.

He stopped. "Zelgadiss is staring at meeeee! Ow!"

Lina pinched him. "Shut up!"

"Will your elf friends come and blast me with their magic, too?"

Lina looked down and found the little boy perched on a nearby pumpkin and touching Zel's bare arm where it revealed more of his mottled, damaged skin. And Zel couldn't move! Lina pushed the little boy's hand away saying, "It's not catching but ya never know…"

His eyes went wide and frightened, scooted away. The child didn't bother them any more. Lina's flashing red eyes were terrifying. Zel closed his eyes and whispered and quiet 'thanks' to Lina.

"Your hair tickles, "Amelia giggled.

"My apologies," Zel sighed.

Xelloss tried to readjust Lina's weight on his legs.

"Just watch your hands, buster."

"I can't possibly. You are blocking my view…not that I'm complaining!" He replied lightheartedly.

"You'd better not," she growled.

"It's bumpy and I don't want to land in the pumpkins, so…Mr. Zelgadiss? You need to make a seat belt like this." She wrapped his arms around her waist. Then she leaned back against his chest, loosely draping her arms atop his.

"Comfortable?" he asked in a near gasp of surprise (or unexpected pleasure).

"Hmm," she sighed relishing every moment.

Zelgadiss soon relaxed, enjoying the soft brush of her dark hair on his neck and chin. He'd just have to get over the fact that it was getting warmer by the second on this ride.

Oops! The wagon bounded over a large bump, nearly launching Lina from her spot. Xelloss reached out and clasped her snugly against his hips. Without a word, Lina fell back against his hard chest, then she sighed, "All right. Just this once though."

"Whatever you want, Lina," he replied coolly.

Having little else to do, Zelgadiss watched them furtively. Lina had hardly fought Xelloss, no punches for invading her space, no jabs to get him to give her more space or for his forwardness. There she was in his arms as if it was a familiar place. And Xelloss! He was blissfully smiling, eyes closed coveting his own private thoughts.

And now humming?

His mellow tenor, slightly breathy voice began to sing, "You don't want my romancing…You only let me hold you when we are dancing. I know I love you then…I don't remember where or when…"

The older woman laughed, "That old song…one of the top hits of the 40's! I think you have a few of the words wrong, as I recall…"

Xelloss looked around Lina's hair. "I like to dance to those songs. You study music? You're certain too young to _remember_ that one." And the way he said it, it sounded sincere.

"You're quite the sweet talker," the lady chuckled.

He smiled innocently. He had a way with older women. Charm without ulterior motives.

She turned to the woman at her side and asked, "You know who that one reminds me of don't you? That pop singer you and your girlfriends were all agog over."

The other woman flushed slightly, "Mom, that was…ages ago."

"Yes, he was on a TV show and sang with his mother and sister and some other littler kids in his family. Nice fellow. What was his name?" the old lady was not about to give up.

"David Cassidy and it was a TV show on in the early 1970's called the Partridge Family," the daughter said to Lina et all. "And, except for the color of your hair, you look just like him. You don't play guitar, do you?"

Lina elbowed him in the stomach. "They mean you, goofus."

Xelloss opened his eyes fully. "Guitar? Noooo," Xelloss answered.

"He's our drummer. And he's a lot smarter than he looks," Amelia piped up.

"I think Mr. Cassidy was smart too. He was a 25 year old actor playing the part of a seventeen year old, then became a pop/rock idol. Very popular." the daughter pointed out.

"What happened to him?" Lina asked.

"Oh, well he's still performing. He was at the height of his pop stardom playing to crowds in concerts of over 60,000…then he gave it up overnight. He wanted to pursue his own dreams and return to acting. And he did. Theater, musicals, many creative outlets. He is very happily married with a 10 year old son…I believe." The daughter blushed a little at all the information she knew about him. Obviously, she was still a fan.

Xelloss smiled at her, "I hope I have fans like you when I'm 50."

"You'll be lucky if you're alive," Zel muttered, which won him a smirk in return.

"Well, he isn't the same person, but he could be his son." the older woman said with finality.

"Not possible," Lina said with assurance.

"His father was a physicist," Amelia offered.

"And my only living relative is my little bro' here," Xelloss grinned.

"I thought you said he was an _elf_!" cried out the little boy from behind a huge pumpkin. "_You're_ no elf."

Xelloss blinked.

Zelgadiss sighed, "Part elf. And we are only distant relations…actually. Well, I'm his uncle to be exact."

The little boy thought that over a second. "Liar! You're not old enough!"

The two women chuckled and shook their heads. Clearly the young men were joking about it all.

Xelloss tucked a stray lock of Lina's hair neatly into her tank top. "Do you remember the title of any of Mr. Cassidy's hits?"

The daughter of the old woman nodded and answered, "Oh, his signature song, yes…'I Think I Love You'. Yes that was memorable certainly, but he had many others both with the show and later after going solo."

"Don't forget to tell them about the pictures!" the older woman's eyes twinkled with playful spite.

"Pictures? Like movies?" Amelia asked.

"He did a nude spread for Rolling Stone magazine. Not nasty like that! Very…cute! A famous lady photographer took them, and his are her most popular pictures still."

Xelloss smiled, "Really?"

Lina slapped one of his hands, "Don't get ANY ideas! And wipe that silly grin off your face right now!"

The wagon ground to a halt. The Mayor's van driver was there, waiting to help them wipe off the pumpkins and load them into the van. Hoards of people were waiting to board the hayride next. Screaming kiddies with drippy ice cream cones! They were glad they'd been on the first run of the day.

Xelloss and Zel begged for a drink and a break before the long ride up into the mountains, but had to be satisfied with just the drinks. "Here," Amelia handled each one a bottle of soda from a small cooler. "This will hold you. I want a get there and have lunch! You do too, don't you?"

Lina agreed and so that's how it was.

"Better get your coats before you get settled," Amelia counseled them. "It's amazing how much colder we are going to get real fast!"

"Not soon enough," Lina groaned as she climbed into the van again fanning herself with a scrap of corn husk.

"One mile altitude change makes a tremendous difference," the driver agreed as he started the van and turned out onto the narrow mountain road.

They road along quietly for several miles; Xelloss and Lina occasionally speaking together in hushed tones, Amelia coercing a grunt or two from Zelgadiss. Again, Zelgadiss noticed the strange familiarity growing between his two best friends, Lina and Xelloss, reminding him of his own friendship with Lina…and Gourry. Less suspicion, on Lina's part now…warmer than her past, tense interactions with Xelloss.

"I think Miss Lina feels sorry for Mr. Xelloss and his break up with that…Eris girl, don't you? She's treating him nicer today, don't you think so?"

So, Amelia noticed it too. "Yes,'" Zel said in a low voice. "I have detected a change in both of them, in their interplay, in particular. I don't know why or how, though. He seemed to get over Eris quickly (like Sylphiel), from what I could tell, anyway. He says he's no longer interested in dating."

"If you can believe that!" Amelia giggled. Their eyes met and they both smiled, secretly sharing the humor in that statement. "Okay, maybe he means it, at least until the next pretty girl smiles at him."

Zelgadiss looked over at Lina and Xelloss quietly sitting together. "Perhaps. I think Subaru has him worried more now. Xelloss has chosen to shoulder the burden of guilt for Hokuto's murder and has pledged to help Subaru's recovery as a kind of… penance, or act of atonement, you might say."

Lina shivered and yanked on her red and black buffalo-plaid fleece jacket. Leaning closer to her, Xelloss straightened out her collar and arranged her hair in back. Done, he left his arm resting across the back of the seat, nearly touching her shoulders.

Zel watched curiously. Xelloss had simply helped her on with her coat, like an everyday occurrence, and yet… considering that it was _Lina_, it had become an intimate gesture. It reminded him of a husband long attuned to his wife's needs. But it _wasn't_. So casually executed! Lina probably was not even aware he had done it! Ah, and yet, there…she raised an eyebrow. Remarkable, Zel thought of her restraint.

No, there was a growing emotional closeness between the two friends, Zelgadiss doubted it no longer. Lina was actually weakening, accepting Xelloss' overtures. Some. Unbelievable, considering where they'd started off only a year ago.

Amelia struggled into her pale peach-colored, fleece-lined pullover, with a hand from Zelgadiss to pull it down in back. It was either that or get an elbow to the nose, he smiled.

Burying her hands in the front pockets, Amelia noted, "It's really cold out, isn't it? Aren't you cold Mr. Zelgadiss?"

He had buttoned up his shirt long ago and slipped on his trusty sage-green hooded sweatshirt, but hadn't bothered to go to the trouble of adding his pale beige coat. "I'm saving my coat to when we get outdoors. It can't be much farther now. We passed the sign advertising the place a mile back."

"Oh, yes! This is it!" Amelia was bubbling with excitement. "The cook's husband's family owns this orchard. Our driver's their son, you see? All in the family! So we're bringing some of the meal with us. We'll go inside and eat first, then walk around, okay everyone?"

"Of course!" Lina gasped. As if there could possibly any other order!

And what a wonder lunch they had! Amelia and Zelgadiss carried in a crate with two enormous chicken-pot-pies tucked inside. In addition, on the table there were baskets of biscuits with still-warm blackberry jam, crisp green beans, a tossed salad of baby greens, and for dessert…a giant raspberry and peach pie loaded with a slab of melting homemade vanilla ice cream. Everyone ate with gusto!

They sat around the large farm table and talked, sipped coffee or tea and digested awhile. "If you are going to take a walk before going," the driver warned Amelia. "You and your friends had better go now. The mayor has to be picked up on time."

The orchard owners stood and walked them out of doors, then setting them on the right path, one recommended for the splendid view of the Seyruun valley, retired to their private time.

"Have I been here before?" Xelloss asked Zelgadiss. "I get the strangest feeling of déjà vu."

"Not with me," Zel admitted. "I wouldn't know with whom you might have come. One of your fathers?"

"No…"

"Okay, Mr. Xelloss!" Amelia called from the edge of the last row of apple trees. "Come pick your first real apple!"

"Do I _haaave_ to?" he mock-whined. Actually, he was quite touched that she had remembered. "I think this one has a worm hole…"

"They do get those if they're not sprayed. Just eat around it," Zel smirked.

Xelloss stared at the foul fruit and tossed it over his shoulder. In a pie would be just fine by him. "If I pick some, will you teach me how to bake a pie, Zelgadiss?"

"Why not?" Zel sighed and walked on ahead where Lina was already starting up the short mountain trail to an overlook.

He followed her in silence, breathing in the aroma of crushed pine needles and listening to the twittering of birds in the shrubs. It was intoxicating. So wild and real, so far away from the stink of chemistry labs and high school hallways. Lina was standing at the path's end looking out over Seyruun like a queen might over her kingdom.

Zel sat on a stump, pulling out a pocket-sized drawing tablet and mechanical pencil. "Nice view?"

Lina nodded, "Yeah. The best."

Zel sketched the trees, Lina's pose, the rocks and a bit of dry mossy undergrowth thick with needles and leaf debris.

"Oooh, you're drawing? Can I see?" Amelia asked as she and Xelloss finally closed in on their private world.

Xelloss was cupping four apples against his chest. "It took a lot longer than I thought to come up with these."

"That's because you are too particular, Mr. Xelloss!" Amelia admonished him. "Things in nature aren't…perfect. Everything has it flaws and you have to overlook a few or everything will seem…well, inferior somehow."

He smiled down at her reflectively for a moment before adding, "Like people."

"Yes, like people…like us! That's what's makes friends _friends_, I guess, isn't it?" Amelia beamed. "It's only right and fair!"

Lina turned toward the others, wrapping her arms around herself for extra warmth, "It's time to head back now. Thanks for all this, Amelia. It was a great break from…down there."

Something that they could all agree about.

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Four.


	5. Warning! Rough Sea

Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! 

Chapter Five

Warning! Rough Sea

_"Paaaaaar-adise." -- Val__

* * *

_

"I was born at the wrong time," Xelloss began loftily. "The 30's or 40's with the big band music and real dancing would have been a better fit. Songs of romance were sweet… 'you're lovely…let's fall in love…get married…and live happily ever after.' And, I should have been in a big city where the action is! How about you?"

Zel looked at him then said his piece, "I guess I'd like to try the future, far future. Live out my life on another planet. I don't know. I don't' think I'd fit in anywhere, anytime."

"Well, I think the Disco Era's for me!" Amelia laughed not trying to be serious for a change. "I just love that dancing and I think that the music's great!"

Lina rolled her eyes and shook her head. The boys groaned.

"The here and now. I wanta change music and create...be a part of the new wave to tomorrow. That...or the Roaring 20's. That was pretty exciting even in the most boring text books retelling. Gangsters and crime Lords and…" Lina looked thoughtful, then added, "'Course I'd have to be part of the women's lib. movement and wear funny hats, soooo… Nah…" she scratched her head and smiled. "Right now's the best. It's our time!"

"Well," said the driver as they pulled up to the mansion. "It's your time to get out and help unload the apple crates and pumpkins."

Xelloss groaned about his already sore arms.

"We'll loosen them up at the pool, or did you forget we had that tonight?" Zel smirked and grabbed one end of a crate.

"Where's that scheduler of yours? I'm throwing it away!" Xelloss shouted, grabbing at Zel and nearly causing him to spill the apples.

"Don'cha know better than to upset the apple crate!" Lina yelled, then started to laugh hysterically at her own silly (and out dated) joke.

* * *

"Yo!"

"Hey."

"Ya 'bout done here?" Val folded his arms and scanned the workers at the site uneasily. He never knew when some past acquaintance might show up and a construction crew could harbor all kinds of temps, he figured.

"Just packin' up," Gourry pushed his bangs out of his eyes and rested his hands on his hips. "Whats'up?"

"Nothin' much. Can ya split?"

"Just gimme a minute." Gourry finished loading his tools into the back of his father's pickup, then loped off to tell his dad that he had another ride home that day. Returning to Val's Suburban, he nodded, "Okay."

Val drove a short distance away and pulled over. "Here." He got out of the car and waited for Gourry to join him on the sidewalk.

"Ah…um…big empty lot?" Gourry had no idea what Val had in mind.

"Remember me an' you drawin' those plans at school last year?" Val smiled a bit. No, Gourry didn't, he could tell by the blank expression. "Here's a clue, dude…" Val made gestures and postured as if he was crusin' on his board.

"Skate park?" Gourry gasped. "Here?"

"Yeah, man! The permit came through on this over the summer. We…were busy at the time. Ma lawyer, Mr…Fri-brizzo, scouted this place out fer us an' did the paperwork. 'Dozers comin' tomorrow."

Gourry shook his head, awed by the reality of a dream come to pass. "Just like we wanted?"

"E-ver-ry thing, dude! " Val was grinning now. "Down to the last deeeetail. Everythin' we could think of and bigger. Drinkin' fountain too. And…'cause I paid fer it, I even got to name it."

Gourry chuckled, "Whatcha gonna tag it with?"

"Paaaaaar-adise."

"Paradise… Park?" Gourry smiled ad his eyes lit up. "That's awesome, dude."

"Yeah…They're puttin' up a sign in front with the name and all…You're name's gonna be there too, as one of the designers. Dude, you'll be faaaa-mous for the biggest park of its kind in the world!"

Gourry laughed along with Val. Yeah, it would be really awesome!

"Let's go see if Lina's back an' show her, 'kay?" Gourry asked. "She'll like it, I bet."

"Yeah."

* * *

Zelgadiss was about to climb into the passenger's seat of his car, when he heard the distinctive sound of Val's powerful Suburban winding its way up the drive to the Mayor's mansion. "Hold on, Xelloss."

Xelloss turned off the engine and watched his friend run off, fleet of foot.

"Where's he off to?" Lina muttered from her cramped position in the back. "I actually have homework to get home to! Oh, it's Val… with Gourry?"

Out Lina popped.

A few minutes later, Zelgadiss returned. As he closed his side door, he said, "All right. Let's go on home now."

Xelloss looked straight ahead and asked, "Shouldn't we wait for Lina?" His voice was low, knowing, and not liking the answer to come.

"No. Val and Gourry have some skateboard park they're involved in and are taking her for an inspection."

"Oh," Xelloss said, disappointed at Lina's departure. "Okay then…"

A few minutes later, Zel warned Xelloss to slow down, "25 MPH in residential areas."

Xelloss sighed and nodded. He also slowed a bit, to 32 MPH. He whipped the car into their driveway, shut off the ignition, and got out, slamming the door and stomping up the walk to their house. Zelgadiss gave him some space, then followed.

Zelgadiss didn't see Xelloss until Val came home and he'd finished putting together their dinner. Xelloss ate in silence, listening to Val's description of the park and nodding amiably, but not participating.

"Yeah, Lina'll be there, maybe even take up skatin' again," Val laughed.

Xelloss pushed away from the table and offered to do the dishes. When he had finished making a great deal of noise and leaving a few pots to drip-dry, he slunk back into his room.

Val knocked on Zel's room, "Yo."

"Come in."

"I, ah…so…what happened? Lina said she'd had a great time pickin' pumpkins and all. Xelloss seems…pretty pissed 'bout somethin'."

Zelgadiss sighed, "I can only guess that he was a bit annoyed when Lina left us and went home with you…and Gourry, especially him." In a dismissive tone he added, "You can go ask him." He hoped that he had put an end to that conversation.

Val did not budge. "Gourry's a hard guy to get riled up, but…somehow Xelloss has got to him. He's over there teachin' Joey drums and his sisters are all in-fa-tu-a-ted with him. He's like an idol at the Gabriev's. Then he's at Lina's doin' that dance thing and then all day today… Luna gives him free-rein at the house, but Gourry's gotta 'bout make an appointment to get past the door. I just don't wanna be around when…"

"…The dam breaks," Zel suggested.

"Yeah, ta put it cleanly."

"You want me to talk to him, right?" Zel raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I thought he was over Lina…moved on…ya know, the other chicks… Sylphiel…Eris… What's up?" Val asked, frustrated at his ignorance. "I figured you'd seen him more lately and might have a clue. You don't think he just does it just to bother Gourry, do ya?"

Zelgadiss looked at Val's intense face then closed his eyes and sighed, "I hope not. I am no mind reader, but I think…Xelloss only has one thing in mind, and that is the pursuit of Lina Inverse."

Val nodded and paced a bit. "Mebbe I'll have a word or two with him."

"Do what you want. I'll talk to him tonight about an assignment anyway and… I don't know what else. Perhaps if he sees that he's causing strife within the band and that that would drive a wedge between him and his…goals faster than anything else, maybe he'd lay off a bit. I don't know…I'm not good at this kind of thing and I wouldn't want anyone sticking their nose into my business either."

"The band thing…yeah. We don't wanna mess up that, not when its about to take off," Val agreed. "Well, ah…thanks, dude."

Zel nodded to him on his way out, then let his head sink onto his arms which were resting on his desk, sighing, "Gods, Xelloss…you are such a pain in the ass sometimes…"

* * *

"I'm hoooo-ome!" Lina yelled as she through her jacket on the floor by the door and stepped out of her shoes.

"Hang it up!" Luna's commanding voice shook the mirror on the wall.

"Yeah, yeah… So, you brought us dinner from the restaurant tonight?"

"Yes, wash up and come eat. Tell me all about your day."

Lina thought that was odd. Why was her sister getting all chummy all of a sudden? "Ah…yeah…sure…" Lina muttered hesitantly.

After a rush of eating, Lina was washing down the last of her dessert with a glass of milk, when her sister asked. "So? What are you going to do about them?"

"Huh? Say what?"

"Gourry and Xelloss, your two admirers. Unless you want them to put on a show and duke it out over you…" Luna gazed intently at her impish little sister over her cup of tea.

"That's their problem. I do nothing to encourage them one way or the other. I've made it clear that I'm not interested in acquiring a boyfriend in the foreseeable future." Lina waved her arm around as if to push aside that topic of conversation.

"That's not going to work with those two, Lina, and you know it! They don't understand why, nor want to. They just figure you can't make up your mind and so they are competing."

"Like birds? Peacocks?"

Luna smiled slightly, "Kinda, yeah. Eventually you will pick the one who can provide you … whatever it is you want… that's what they are trying to figure out. Now Gourry, he's not so clever, and hopes to appeal to your need for security. But he's got patience going for him, that and a big heart. A big, dumb, heart."

"Luna!"

"Okay, a good, strong heart, weak brain…" Luna smiled maliciously. She wasn't crazy about the young man, nice that he was, but she didn't want to put Lina on the defensive either. "Xelloss, on the other hand, is short on the patience part, but always scheming and planning his next move. He's tenacious and his heart is no less certain."

"Nonsense. He's always looking for a girl to grace his arm. He was out with Filia and her folks the weekend after breaking up with Eris."

"Ah…don't let his flirtatiousness and charm fool you. I can see it in his eyes when you are near him, you are all he sees and when you are not… "

"Oh ho! Don't give me that 'you are all he dreams about' crap! He has a life." Lina said, but with a touch of uncertainty.

"Yes, and he wants you to be a part of it in a big way. You know, if you wanted to be a manipulative bitch, you could get those two, plus that Val kid and of course your little Zel friend to jump through burning hoops."

Lina burned holes through her sister's forehead with her fiery stare. "Good thing I'm not…and good thing you're wrong about them if I were..."

Luna simply shrugged her shoulders, "Okay, but that changes nothing. Gourry and Xelloss will be at each other's throats before too long, and that marks the end of your band. Like it or not, you have to resolve this."

"Oh yeah? Me? What should I do that I haven't already done? Beat them both senseless?"

"Might work," Luna smiled. "Or just pick one and try dating for once. Nothing major, just a movie or dinner…"

"What? You think that's what they want? I don't want to become somebody's 'thing'…ornament and I don't want… Geesh! Gourry's saving for a house! And Xelloss…who knows what he's got goin' on inside that head of his, but last he was goin' on about futures he was talkin' kids, for gods'sakes! I just want things to stay the same. The band, my friends, is that too much to ask!" Lina cried out and pounded the table with her fist.

"Apparently it is, Lina." Luna set down her cup and leaned closer to her sister. "If Momma was here, she'd know just what to tell you. But she's not. So I'll do what I can. See, everyone changes, that's what's going on. Some faster or sooner than others. Gourry and Xelloss, Val too, are older—not that they act like it much of the time, but part of them is. They are doing what's natural for them, and you are…"

"Irresistible…ah Luna…give it up!"

"Attractive anyway. It's just what happens, Lina. The point is, if you want the band to hold together, you'll have to settle those two boys down," Luna said seriously.

"I repeat…by doing what!"

Luna leaned back and smiled as she folded her arms, "Well, if it were me…I'd snag the rich, sexy guy any time."

Lina coughed, "Gah! Why don't you go for him then?"

"Because," Luna patted Lina on the back warmly, "He's in love with you." Then she laughed loudly and slapped her hands together. "That and his hair…I'd look like his imperfect sister! His is so perfect!"

Lina's eyes narrowed. She hadn't seen the humor in the situation. Her band's existence was at stake! All because a couple of guys were having a hard time controlling their hormones. Guys were all idiots, well except for Zelgadiss, he seemed able to restrain himself and act like a normal human being! She'd talk to him about it. Maybe he could drive some sense into his friend's tiny male brains. Zel, yeah. But would he really be any help?

* * *

Xelloss opened the manila envelope. I had been slipped between the front door and the screen door. It had no return address or address at all, only his name 'Metallium' typed on a sliver-trimmed label. He snatched it up before Zelgadiss, following closely behind, even saw it. No reason getting him all stirred up over…nothing, because that was exactly what it would turn out to be. One big nothing, right? Right. He escaped into the private confines of his room and ripped it open. Tapping in on its end caused a single photo and typed note to fall onto his desk. It was a photograph of him, taken over the summer while they had been on the road performing. Xelloss blinked, then blinked again as tears threatened to obscure his vision. It was a candid shot. In the picture, he was holding up a blow drier to his hair and he was wearing only a pair of striped boxers. Who could have taken this? He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and looked more closely. No, the picture was blurred, as if…it had to have been taken from some distance away--maybe through a window? Then enlarged…

He found the note and read it. Again. And again. '**I am watching you**', it said. Huh?

He quickly shoved the note and picture into the envelope and flipped it over. His heart was racing and his hands trembled as he backed away from his desk. Without even removing his clothes, he dove under his covers, hiding he head under a pillow and started to scream. "It's not fair! Why me? What did I do?"

* * *

"Ah, Xelloss?"

Xelloss stilled, then sat up as he recognized the voice. Huskily he answered, "Yeah?" Gods, what time was it? Xelloss looked up at his alarm clock. Morning? Had he really fallen asleep in his clothes? Memories of the picture and note came to the forefront of his mind. Maybe that was all a dream. He sat up. Zelgadiss had said something to him. "What?" he shouted back as his eyes settled on the manila envelope on his desk. Not a dream.

"Ah…I'm just about to go with Lina to this art show, sure you don't want to come along?" Zel asked. He was certain Xelloss would say no again. He hadn't wanted to get in the way. He hadn't wanted to interfere. Fine, but now Zelgadiss was a bit concerned at his friend's emotional as well as physical disappearance into his room last night, and didn't want to run off without checking up on him.

"Um…okay!" Xelloss croaked. He ripped off his shirt and grabbed a clean one on his way past the door to the bathroom. "Just hold on a minute…I, ah…have to go to the bathroom, okay?"

Zelgadiss shrugged to the door, "All right. Just don't take all day in there."

Ten minutes later, a carelessly dressed Xelloss emerged and they were on their way to pick up Lina.

"You want to get in back and let the 'lady' sit in comfort?" Zel said lightly as he parked at Lina's house.

Xelloss stared at him blankly, then nodded and got out of the car as Zelgadiss strode up to Lina's front door. A few minutes later, Zel and Lina were ensconced up front while Xelloss, silent, was stretched out along the back seat.

"So, what changed yer mind?" Lina shot to the back seat.

Xelloss managed a weak smile. "I wasn't feeling like being alone, I guess. Val's out at the settlement until late tonight."

"Oh. I just thought you might have suddenly become interested in cel collecting. It's catching on," Lina said conversationally.

Xelloss, she had noticed, had seemed oddly subdued since she had gotten into the car. In fact, those were the first words out of his mouth. He didn't appear to be well, pale, with circles under his eyes, and he was wearing his glasses to boot!

"You coming down with something? I wanna know if I was exposed to anything yesterday on that hayride." Lina even added a smile, to lighten the mood.

However, Xelloss had closed his eyes and leaned his head back as if he were asleep. He wasn't even aware of the passage of time.

"Shall I leave you here in the car or…?" Zelgadiss asked, poking his head toward the back seat. "We're here. Parking is easy on Sunday. Coming?"

Xelloss nodded and gracefully exited the little car. "Not many people coming to the show." His voice sounded hollow and distant, even to him.

Zel looked at him. "Ah, the exhibit's open for several weeks, this is only the first hour or so. It's liable to get crowded this afternoon. That's why I suggested we go this morning before our swim."

"Yeah," Lina nudged him. "This is the second day this weekend that I've been up before 10 o'clock too! Better be worth it!" She tried to be short and gruff, but Xelloss' mood dampened even her spirits.

At one point, they both left Xelloss sitting on a bench in front of a vibrant display of Lodoss War cels, while they continued to look around and take notes.

When Lina found a dark Trigun grouping, she paused and waited for Zelgadiss to join her.

"That looks like it might be an interesting anime. Do you know it?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's been around a while. Ah, say, Zel…I got this problem," Lina began uncomfortably.

Raising an eyebrow, Zel muttered, "Are you certain I'm the right guy to talk to?"

Glaring at her avoidance-oriented friend, Lina whispered, "It concerns Gourry and Xelloss."

"Ah…" Zel felt a cold chill. Not this conversation! He sighed again and said, "Val…was asking me about the same two people last night."

"Oh?"

"I guess Gourry confided to him about some …problems he's having with Xelloss being an idol around his house and being a fixture at yours. It's just what Val told me, Lina. I haven't spoken to Gourry for a few days, and not about this."

"Luna said…"

"Luna!"

"Yeah, must be something, if she noticed the strained relations between them that day…after the funeral. She says…it's over me."

Zel closed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest defensively. "Like I said, I haven't heard anything first hand. Last time Gourry and I talked was at the contest and Xelloss…I, um…don't…share…talk about…"

Before Zel's mutterings got any more annoying, Lina cut in, "You avoid it all. I know. When you can. I'd like to too, ya know! Why can't they just be like you…mature and…treat me like a person— a beautiful, clever person— not like some…object to fight over…like the grand prize! If they screw up the band so help me, Zel, I will blow them to…little tiny bits! Can't you DO something!"

Zelgadiss drew back from the beautiful, clever, and fanged girl with the fuming eyes. "No."

She was not pleased.

Zel has his pride, but now was not to time to assert it, he decided. "Well, all right. I'll tell them to give you some space and make the band their number one priority. But, Lina, it's awkward to accuse them of something…Xelloss in particular! He's been so caught up in Subaru's problems and I thought he was off romance right now anyway. And Gourry…he'll just give me that sad-eyed, you-don't-really-know-me hurt look and tell me that he just can't trust Xelloss, but that there's not the real problem."

Lina was cooling off some. Zel's words worked like magic, or at least like an ice-cold bucket of water, putting out her fire. "Yeah…guess so… I think I'll just beat them into submission."

Zel smiled his little smirky half-smile, relieved that she wasn't about to include him in that program. "Much more sensible than leaving it up to me or attempting to carry on a reasonable conversation."

Lina gave him a hard look to see if he was teasing her. "Damned right!" She gave him a cute wink and moved off.

When they had circled through the remaining exhibits, satisfied that they had seen enough and had a couple of good angles from which to begin their review, Lina figured it was time to seek out their pensive friend. "Now where do you suppose Mr. Happy is today?"

"Xelloss?"

"Yes." She halted mid stride and raked her eyes over Zel's face looking for something. "Oh and, by the way…thanks, Zel. Sometimes you're the only one I can count on to help shoulder the load. I'm glad we're still friends."

Taken aback by her sincerity, Zel choked first, then coughed through a blush. "Yes…well…anytime…Ah, we left him back in that room." He quickly led the way as he backtracked through the walls of art.

"Done already?" Xelloss smiled wanly up at Lina and Zel.

"Yeah, great stuff but two of the artists really stand out. I'll have no problem starting this paper tonight. I'll get what I've done to ya tomorrow afternoon, okay Zel?"

"Or later, no rush," Zel stared at Xelloss trying to recall when he had taken this sudden down turn. "Xelloss, did you hear from Subaru today?"

"No, I guess I need to stop by and see him today. Could you…?"

"Hey, can I go too?" Lina asked. "I really miss him. Maybe I can give him something new to think about."

Xelloss seemed to pull himself together after that and return to a quiet, but functional facsimile of himself.

Zelgadiss waited until they were home that evening and completely inside the house, door closed, lights on. "All right. What happened to you?"

Xelloss rolled over a couple of clever replies in his head, choosing at last his old tried and true, "That's a secret."

"Not from me."

Xelloss opened his eyes and met Zel's. "Okay. Let me show you…"

Zelgadiss stared at the picture a moment, then read the note. "Damn, some crazy fan has found out where you live. I'll give McGywn a call and have him…" Zel paused. "You don't think it's a fan, do you?"

Xelloss simply shook his head. "No."

"I'm calling McGywn," Zel stated and went on a search for a phone.

* * *

"Class, I would like to read aloud a very fine example of the type and quality of paper that I am expecting from you." The Advanced Literature teacher announced following her role count.

Lina gave Filia a thumbs up and twisted around to whisper to Xelloss, "Suck up!" But she grinned to prove she didn't mean it and turned back to Zelgadiss. "Ours is almost done. I'll get it to ya by Japanese and you can take it home and edit it…not that it needs it."

"Ahem…

KIROV BALLET – ATLAS CITY WINTER TOUR

Le CorsaireOmitted by the teacher:** Reviewed by Xelloss Metallium Copy-edited by Filia Ul Copt**

by the teacher: 

I attended the Kirov Ballet's last performance of "Le Corsaire" in late summer. The leading dancers were Uliana Lopatkina as Medora, Igor Zelenski as Ali, Konstantin Zaklinsky as Conrad, and Irina Zhelonkina as Gulnara. As you may well know, "Le Corsaire" is a ballet with a very complicated story and a mish-mash of musical styles. However, it all somehow comes together as a great show, which I really enjoyed.

Uliana Lopatkina is one of the wonderful young principals of the Kirov, following in the tradition of many great Kirov ballerinas of the past. She uses her long legs and arms to great advantage as she expresses both elegance and a strong will through her dancing. With just one look at her, three bullies on the stage--as well as all of us in the audience-- melt and fall in love with Lopatkina's very noble and warm dance.

Igor Zelensky was a dynamic Ali. The sweep and power of his jumps are so large, that he seemed to have a bit of difficulty trying to adjust his dancing to a space smaller than what he is used to at the larger Mariinsky Theater stage. Zelensky's interpretation of Ali differs from that of another Kirov star, Farouk Ruzimatov. Zelensky openly expresses his strong love for Medora throughout the ballet, while Ruzimatov expresses his hidden passion for her only during his Act II variation.

I was just as impressed with Konstantin Zaklinsky's Conrad. He was a true actor, overshadowing all other dancers on the stage through his very powerful mime and secure dancing. I used to think of him only as a dancer of the Romantic Prince variety, whereas now he has become a wonderful character dancer who can continue to perform and delight audiences for many years beyond the "dancing life-span" of the classical princely dancer.

Recognizing the Kirov's great tradition, and in light of the company's recent large and swift alteration in the roster of its principals and other dancers, I was a bit skeptical that the Kirov would no longer be the Kirov from years past. However, I am happy to report that the young principals and soloists are very secure in their technique and artistry, and display sincerity towards their art. The corps de ballet was every bit as wonderful as I expected. Now, the Kirov only seems to be lacking in master-soloists for the character dances (e.g., Spanish dances, Czardas, etc.). Their ranks will soon be replenished as one generation is groomed to follow the other, no doubt.

The Kirov Orchestra, led by Maestro Victor Fedotov, was yet another reason for the success of the evening. When this troop next returns, I recommend that you purchase your tickets early; there will be another sell out show."

The teacher looked up to see if anyone had been listening, then sighed, "And believe me, this next year I may just do that and see for myself if what is said here is true. Very nicely done, and you know who you are. Now, the projects are not due for awhile, so now that you see what you have to shoot towards, lets look at some very bad examples written tortuously in the late 19th century by…" and the teacher continued to drone on and on…

"Uh…the torture…" Zel groaned under his breath.

Later that Monday afternoon, Zelgadiss dropped Xelloss off at the shrine before Letting Lina out at her house. When he arrived home, Val was waiting for him at the door.

"Val?" Zel gave him a questioning look.

"Look at this," Val said curtly.

Zel followed his gesture to a spot a small box on the table. "A box," he commented, stating the obvious.

"For Mr. Meee-tal-lee-um. It has a syn-dee-cat clearing house smell about it," Val sneered.

Zel paled, "He got a strange picture and note the other day…from some nutcase spying on him. I put in a call to McGywn, just in case. Could be a crazy fan."

"Ya don't sound convinced of yer own logic," Val growled.

"I…I'm not," Zel admitted.

"Should I go get Lina?" Val asked.

"Yeah, she should be told."

By the time Sylphiel dropped Xelloss back at his house an hour later, there was quite a group waiting for him. He was surprised to see both Val and Zel standing in the front room, but when he noticed that Lina was there as well, he had to force down his unease. "Ah, hi guys!"

Val pointed at the box. "This came for you today via City-State Express. Didn't need ta sign fer it and when I checked, the tracking number was non-ex-is-tant."

Xelloss smiled and passed his hand over the silver-edged label, "I see."

"Well, open it!" Lina demanded.

"Lina, ease off and let him do it in private if he wants," Zel admonished her while uncharacteristically protecting Xelloss. "We are here to support him, not attack him."

Lina grumbled something, but Zel continued, "Xelloss, let us know if it's anything…important, all right? In light of that picture you received earlier…"

"Okay," Xelloss smiled at Lina and carried his box off to his room, closing the door behind him.

A short time later, Xelloss came back out and assured them all that it was okay…no big deal…just some things his mother had saved…'Probably found it at Wolfpack Island when they were cleaning it out…' And, no, there were no menacing or threatening notes or identification to confirm where it had originated. So, Zel left Val to 'baby-sit' while he took Lina back to her house for the second time that day. False warning…

"Zel-gaaaadiss?"

"Yes, Xelloss. I'm in here." Zel turned from his computer in time to watch his best friend fall onto his bed, a new book in hand. "Ah, McGywn called me today. No new news, but he's on it…said 'not to worry', all right? What's that?"

"My journal."

Zelgadiss stared at the blank cover, pleased. "So, you took my advice."

"Yep!" Xelloss rolled onto his side and placed it on the edge of the mattress. "Val's doing it too. You should be proud, Dr. Greywords."

"It's not for me," Zel corrected him. "It's for you to have an outlet for some of those disturbing thoughts and hidden secrets which you would otherwise conceal for the rest of your life."

"I…know…that."

"Have you written anything in it?" Zel asked. It looked to him as if it had never been opened.

"Lots! All kinds of things up to and including the first time I met …you and Lina!" Xelloss giggled and rolled around.

"Last year. That's most of your life, Xelloss. That was rather fast."

"Well, I did get to events of the past few days, but I skipped a lot along the way. Actually, I was referring to the year before last. I knew you our first year of high school, remember? We had three classes together. The English one, the Biology one, and the…"

"Computer lab." Zel finished for him. "I do remember you in there. I hated your guts."

"You were just challenged by me and hated that I was better…more clever!" Xelloss rolled quickly to his other side to avoid getting a pillow to his gut.

"You weren't better, just trickier and you caught me off guard. I got my disk space back."

"Eventually, but I ended up with the extra memory board." Xelloss gave him a little smirk.

"So," Zel sighed in defeat. "I got the better game driver. However, I lost some important stuff I had just downloaded. Some medical leads I'd taken months to trace! My cure might have been in some of that stuff and you just…took it away and…it disappeared in a puff of smoke. That's what you came to see me about? Old times?"

"Yes…and no," Xelloss grew more serious. "Um, your cure wasn't in any of those files. I scanned them first, guessing what it was you were searching for. Yeah, I know…a bit presumptuous of me, but I saved you a lot of grief. The news was grim and out-dated. Anyway, on a brighter note…I'd like you to do something for me."

Zelgadiss caught the mood change and straightened. "All right…"

"Nothing…terrible or anything," Xelloss smiled nervously. "But I'd like you to promise not to...I don't know actually… I guess 'hate me when you're done' will do."

Zelgadiss did not like to play this game. He frowned slightly. "I might hate you, I might not. I won't promise you immunity from my subconscious reactions. However, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and hear you out, if need be. Now what is it that's making you so nervous?"

Xelloss put a finger on the book. "I want you to read this."

Zelgadiss looked at the book and then at Xelloss. "That's it?"

Xelloss nodded.

"Isn't it a bit too personal to share?"

"I think I want, no that's not right…I know I want you to know what's in here. You have accepted me for all my faults…"

"Of which there are many…"

Xelloss smiled, "All my faults … and I believe I owe it to you to understand why I am the way I am."

"No secrets any more?"

"Well, its not done…" Xelloss smiled slyly.

Zelgadiss sighed and picked it up. "All right. I'll read this." He looked down at Xelloss' worried face and added, "But that doesn't mean that I will let you read mine."

Xelloss nodded. "I would, if you wanted me to, but only if you wanted me to."

Zelgadiss shook his head. He was not ready to share that much with anyone. Maybe he never would.

"I'll just go study now," Xelloss whispered, and let himself out of the room.

Zelgadiss opened the blue journal and was surprised at how many pages were filled up. Nearly the entire journal! And typed! Xelloss had typed it up on his computer and had it bound! Well, just as well, Zel thought with a smile, since he could never read Xelloss' messy scrawl anyway.

He stood and straightened out the bedcovers, plumped up his pillows and stretched out to read.

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Five.


	6. Xelloss' Journal Part 1

Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! 

Chapter Six

Xelloss' Journal, Part 1

"I lived in constant systematized chaos on both the inside and the outside of my mind." -- Xelloss

_

* * *

Zelgadiss turned to the first page of Xelloss' typed journal, and began to read…_

Xelloss here! So… Zelgadiss agreed with the shrink: Write my thoughts down. Keep a little journal. I guess I should back up a bit so this makes sense, huh?

Man, I sound like an idiot not some genius geek when I go back and re-read this junk. Maybe I should stop the analysis and just write more, I mean let's face it, this is for 'my own good' not for publication! Anyway my little brother was starting to worry about me and my 'moments' where I lose track of what's happening and my brain kinda goes dead. I tried to tell him I've always been that way, but who knows…so I'm doing this journal thing.

So's Val! Probably it will mean more writing for him than in his whole life before! Ah…that's not fair. He's been working hard in school this year and is actually a smart guy with…lots of _po-ten-shu_l, as he would say.

If I'm honest here-- and I am supposed to be because no one but me has any business reading this and what do I have to hide from myself, right? —I'd begin by saying that it feels good to have someone who cares about me, really cares what's going on in my head and my life. Zelgadiss is more than just another guy, he's my link to reality. But I wouldn't _tell_ him that. It might scare him. Maybe not, though. He seems to understand me pretty well, all things considered, like not knowing all my secrets. Maybe I'll have him read this and discover what makes be click? Enough writing for now, don't you think?

…

Val was the only other guy I'd told about the bad stuff, and that was because he'd opened up to me with similar problems. Zelgadiss…well, I'll let him read this rather than tell him. That way he won't have to face me when he finds out about stuff he doesn't like. I'm just hoping he won't hate me or anything when he's done…or that he doesn't look at me funny or act differently, Maybe he's already guessed that I've been raped. He has probably guessed about the ADD stuff on his own. He'll make such a good doctor someday!

But I don't want to get to that just yet. I'm supposed to start back a lot further in time. Gods…it's hard. I'll start later, when I'm in the mood…

New mood! Here goes…

From the start, nothing about me seemed to be normal. How about that for starters? At least, what was ever 'normal' for me seemed to be quite a stretch for everyone else, not that I noticed much as a little kid, _at first_. Well, I'd have to have been blind, deaf and dumb not to notice that other people seem to do most things a little differently than I did. I could not put it into words, but often I felt like a puzzle piece that did not fit. I'll give you lots of examples as I think this through. Okay, so there were tasks I could walk through without thinking and other activities that paralyzed me.

How about that for starters? At least, what was ever 'normal' for me seemed to be quite a stretch for everyone else, not that I noticed much as a little kid, . Well, I'd have to have been blind, deaf and dumb not to notice that other people seem to do most things a little differently than I did. I could not put it into words, but often I felt like a puzzle piece that did not fit. I'll give you lots of examples as I think this through. Okay, so there were tasks I could walk through without thinking and other activities that paralyzed me. 

My 'parents' certainly noticed and took me to a doctor I was in 2nd grade, I think…or later, they decided that I had Attention Deficit Disorder with _mild _hyperactivity. Thank the gods for the mild part or I would have been climbing the walls too! At the same time, they also said my IQ tested out something nearly 80 points higher than Einstein, for what that's worth. What all this really meant is that sometimes I looked like a genius, and other times I looked like an idiot. Take your pick, because the chances were just about even for both at any given moment.

Oh, yeah you noticed the 'parents' thing, well they're what messed me up more along the line. And the 'father figures' count currently stands at four—neat huh? I mean I already had a few strikes against me from the start then…well… I'll get to them along the way in this journal.

So what did this ADD verdict mean to me? Basically, in school I got (and still do!) totally bored with anything that didn't interest me (or with stuff that any idiot should already know, in my opinion), and my brain would get so impatient with the painfully tedious, boring, everyday bullshit that sometimes it felt like I might explode if I didn't **do** something. In most of my classes, everything the teachers talked about was usually stuff I already knew, and I mean starting from kindergarten all the way up to the present at any and all of the wastelands…er schools I attended or 'showed up at'. I mean, all I had to do was read the textbook one stupid time, because everything they wanted me to regurgitate back at them was all in there. What's so hard about that?

Anyway, mostly in class I just sat in the back and read. That lasted about a month until whichever teacher it was that was new to me that year figured out that I wasn't PAYING ATTENTION. Then it would be _no_ reading. So sometimes I would just go nuts and act out. I had to do something, didn't I! That's when I became a real irritating little shit, I think, at about five. Why that was after my real father died, or thereabouts. Coincidence? Not likely but my shrink will tell me otherwise, of course because it's gotta have a 'chemical imbalance' issue for them to 'treat'. Ooh do I detect an attitude problem towards the medical profession here? To quote my friend Filia, "NO DUH!"

Like Val once said, and Zelgadiss has_ repeatedly_ told me, my brain's wiring is just different than most people. For example, I can do long division in my head to five or six places in a matter of a few seconds (no, I don't really consciously go through all the steps that fast...I just kinda relax my mind and the answer just sorta pops in there...) But, I almost failed algebra because I could never remember to turn in the homework. It's totally unfair. They should give monsters like me a break! Some kids, like me, but not my little brother thank the gods again, have trouble with organization. They don't remember which assignments they're supposed to do, or just forget to take their homework and supplies home with them.

I really have trouble remembering the simplest little everyday things at times. Like, did I remember to eat breakfast this morning? Did I remember to bring my homework? Did I remember to tie my shoes? Or more recently…did I remember to BRING ALONG MY HOTEL KEY WHEN LEAVING THE ROOM!

My teachers all learned that if a paper was turned in with no name on it, with virtually unreadable handwriting, and was 100 correct, then it was probably mine. Of course, once I went into high school they didn't care or grade it anymore.

Sometimes, directions and street names totally elude me as well. For some strange reason, Zelgadiss didn't notice for the longest time. Then when I'd get lost or something, he'd seem to get really annoyed with me (at least I _think_ that was the reason, there were soooo many possibilities…) But after a while, he did the math (and Zelgadiss IS the math genius of all time, really!) and figured it out, especially when I'd ask him for the twentieth time, "hey...uhhh...where do I turn now to get…um…wherever we're going?"

He does most of the driving now. Funny though, he trusts me enough to let me borrow his shiny new car—naturally after he's gone over all his rules and after he's traced out my path onto a map which he keeps in the car just for me. But I think that that's a sign of trust and friendship.

This ADD thing isn't ALL bad. I am also _blessed _with a nearly photographic memory. I can basically recite at will just about anything I've ever read in a book or the computer, seen on TV, or heard on the radio, or was just basically interested enough in to pay attention to. I can describe in great detail anything I can picture in my mind from a past event. Ask me any fact about Star Trek (Zelgadiss and I watched lots of this while re-cooping in the hospital), some anime, any musical...and you'll get an immediate answer--the correct one, naturally.

Back to my younger years… I sure do digress a lot! Another one of my 'problems' was my mouth, which just seemed to have a mind of it's own. Things just kinda came out without any warning. Hey, I was just as surprised as everyone else when that happened! Sometimes I just sounded stupid...at other times, rude or insensitive. It really killed me inside when that stuff happened, because I felt like the picture of me that people end up getting wasn't really me. It was so frustrating!

Oh and especially with kids, once people get the wrong impression in their head about you, you can just forget it. You can _never _change it. You're just basically screwed forever. To that person, you're an idiot, or an asshole, or a faggot…whatever…for life. Like they say, you can only make one first impression...I just wish I could act like my normal self around new people. The problem is, I can't do that until I get comfortable enough around them to relax. But, I always manage to piss-off or offend everyone before I can get to that point. Like I said, hardly anybody actually knows the real me. Except Zelgadiss, maybe Val and sometimes Lina and Amelia… and rarely Filia or Sylphiel and never…_ever_ Gourry.

Oh, maybe a day-in-my-life story would be fun to recall here. It kind of explains my early years. Here goes a story:

I can remember a time in second grade when Mrs. Jolly had heard enough from me one day.

Me: Why can't I go on the field trip to the art museum?

Mrs. J: You know why, Xel. Your name appears far too many times on the board.

Me: No it doesn't! I'm not even behind. I got an "A" on that last assignment, too! I'm just trying to do my work, but adults keep trampling on my _individual rights_. You know, the ones you told us about, in the **Constitution**.

Mrs. J: The Constitution doesn't say anything about singing in class, or running around the room, or ignoring the teacher's instructions.

Me: I already told you, I don't follow _stupid _rules.

Mrs. J: That's exactly why you're not going on the field trip. Moreover, you have no right to call my rules stupid. Now it's time for you to head for home. Have a nice afternoon. Go find some nice friends and play.

Me: I don't have any stupid friends! You're going to call my Mom again aren't you?

Mrs. J: I have to, Xel. You were out of control today. Let's make tomorrow a better day. Goodbye.

Oh and that was just the start. You know, I have always hated it when teachers would call home. No good ever came from that.

So back to that day…The school was a few blocks from my house, and I walked it alone, angry at the whole world. I opened the back door of the empty house. My mother was a student, then a teacher and rarely home, and about that time my 'father' was probably already or about to become stepfather Gaav …another story all together… and he mighta been at work or sleeping off a drunk. So I'd just prepare something sweet, like sugar-tea, only to discover a note from my mother on the kitchen table, reminding me that I had art class in half an hour. That stupid art class with that stupid lady who wouldn't stop telling me what to do until I try to draw, and then she'd just tell me to _try_. It crossed my mind not to go, but my mother had emphasized repeatedly that she had paid money for the class and would be very _upset _if I didn't go. By the time I finished my tea and disconnected all the phones (this was before cellphones existed, you know) so that Mrs. Jolly's phone call wouldn't get through, I was late for my art class. So I ran out the door. Did I think of a coat if it was cold or to lock up the house? Maybe, maybe not. Details, details…I wasn't very old at the time anyway.

I wouldn't stop running until I'd get to the busy intersection of nearby Middle Something Lane and North Somethingelse Street. The sign might have said 'don't walk', but if I checked I wouldn't see any, so I'd just go. A van turning the corner slammed on its brakes 15 feet in front of me. 'Wow, I could have died. I'll never to that again', I thought. I remember thinking that then, but I'd do something just as remarkably stupid another day.

I continued on to my class at the Arts Place, where the other kids were already drawing. The teacher Mrs. Williams, greeted me, pointed to a picture of an octopus on the wall, and explained that _we_ were trying to draw it.

Me: I can't draw that.

Mrs. W: I bet you can.

Me: No, I _can't_! You have to show me _how_!

Mrs. W: Just give it a shot.

I would start to draw and in 30 seconds, I would have created a series of curves resembling absolutely nothing. I'd crumple up my paper in frustration and ask for another one. Mrs. Williams would usually just hand me over another and avoid a 'don't waste paper' lecture, until the process repeated a few times. As she would give me that piece of paper, she would tell me that it would be my _last_ one. Okay so now I would decide to draw the one thing I _could _draw to my own satisfaction: smiley faces. And, since this would make me feel happy, I would begin to sing some song off my real father's old 'Hits of the 40's' albums…loudly. The kid next to me would immediately complain, and when I would respond 'What's the matter you don't like music?' the kid would go to Mrs. Williams who'd inform me that 'singing out loud is inconsiderate'. Whatever that meant! I'd stop, but two minutes later I forget and start singing 'Singing In the Rain!'

Mrs. W: Xel, if you don't conduct yourself better here, I'll have to talk to your Mom.

To which I would respond: Who cares? This isn't even school.

By now I had filled my page with smiley faces and a few that weren't so happy, and I'd be feeling tired. When I showed my paper to Mrs. Williams, she'd nearly always express approval, which would mollify me for the time being, enough that I might go and lay down on a nearby bench.

Mrs. W: Xel, get up. Do you see anyone else sleeping in art class?

Me: No, but I'm weird, and proud of it... I'm tired, could you just leave me alone?

Mrs. W: Don't talk to me like that. Now get up, or else.

Me: Or else what?

Mrs. W: I'm talking to your Mom. Unless you promise to make some serious changes in your attitude, you won't come to this class any more.

Well, we wouldn't want _that_, would we? Gods, nothing would have made me happier than to drop that crappy class and just stay at home or…_learn to dance_! But I really did want to conform back when I was small, a little anyway. So I'd finally I get up and start a watercolor picture. Ten minutes later I'd turn around and Mrs. Williams would be talking to my mother, who would have a horrible expression on her face. Mrs. Williams would tell me to take my time finishing, so she could have _plenty_ of time telling my 'Mom' all the things I did wrong that day. I'd go over to them, and try to give my mother a hug and Mrs. Williams an angry look, but mother would take my hand and march me to the car. She was always mad, I knew, because she's not saying anything.

After a painful discussion about my behavior in art class and why I disconnected all the phones, after dinner, after Mrs. Jolly's phone call and another painful conversation about _that_, oh yes…and after doing my math homework... it would be 8:00. We'd all be emotionally exhausted and I have some kind of workbook to finish, which I hadn't yet started. Sitting on top of the heirloom cedar chest in the upstairs hallway, filled with what I'd eventually learn was syndicate stuff, I wouldn't be able to focus enough to understand the questions, let alone write responses, so I'd wrap my pencil constantly on the paper as thoughts of the day's endless frustrations flash through my head—tapping out the rhythms in my head to the music in my mind going on and on… I just couldn't stop moving sometimes when I'd had a day like that, plus the only thing I'd had to eat for hours was sugar-tea. See the little drummer in me was there from the start!

Mother-dearest: How's the reading coming?

Me: I can't do it. There's questions to answer too!

Mother-dearest: Let's sit on the bed and I'll help you.

Me: This is _impossible_!

I'd whine.

Gods, I'm bad about that still, but back then I was _always _frustrated. Then things would go any of various different ways. If Gaav wasn't home, she'd be better and take her time working with me. She'd tell me what to write for the first question and I'd start to write it word for word, not having read the workbook pages to know what the hell to write anyway. She'd tell me she couldn't read my writing and would tell me to write it again. Always trying to please the bitch…er…my mother, I'd crumple up my paper and throw it, tears welling up in my eyes.

"I know we've had a tough day, but we need to finish this assignment," she'd say feigning interest, sympathy and love but oozing insincerity, kissing my head. She'd get up, retrieve the paper and attempt to flatten it out again. I couldn't face it. I'd get up and start pacing the hallway, my blood boiling. Relentlessly she'd follow me and read the next question.

"I don't know! The question doesn't make any sense!" I'd scream.

After that, she usually would have had enough. "Xelly, you're out of control. I can't work with you until you calm down. Why is this so hard for you—you're so smart? Maybe you just can't do 2nd grade work. Maybe you should be back in 1st grade."

With that she'd go into her room and close the door. I'd start to wail and pound on the door, furious and helpless at the same time. "My life is hooooorrible! There's nothing I can do to stop it! I want to just go in a coma!"

I remember that one precise moment-- I felt like my brain might explode. All of the frustrations of that horrible day, and many before it, had built up in me, and then my own mother, in a moment of accidental candidness and certain cruelty, confessed her true suspicion that I had somehow 'faked' the IQ tests or they'd gotten them 'mixed up with someone else's'—and concluded that I was in fact just simply stupid.

In a blind, anguished rage, I slammed my forehead into the railing at the top of the staircase. Again. Intense pain rushed through my head and neck. Then the pain stopped and instead it fed something horrible inside me, strengthening my resolve to end it all, so I did it again. Again. My mother heard the sound and rushed into the hallway. She grabbed me and pulled me to the floor. She smothered me in her 'loving' arms and saw the huge bump forming on my head. I don't know which of us was more shocked and horrified at that moment. She sobbed, "You hurt yourself. Why did you do that? I didn't mean what I said, I was just frustrated."

SHE was frustrated! _She _was the adult! I was just a little kid and it was all happening to _me_! I went into the bathroom and I sobbed all the frustration, tension and anger out of me with my tears and then vomited.

Mother went to get me an aspirin and ice pack for my head, and when she came back I was sitting at my desk in my room reading my workbook with almost spiritual calm, even though she told me not to worry about it. Fifteen minutes later I finished it and the questions and went to bed.

And that was fairly typical, unless Gaav was there. You'd think after my real father had drunk himself to death-- well not _death_ as I discovered this summer, but nearly so—that my mother wouldn't drink, especially around me. Well, she did. Both of them, her and Gaav-dear. Then she'd rail on about how insignificant my problems were in light of her own and why didn't I just behave and make the world better for everyone and then he'd slap me around for upsetting her.

Ah, well, what's the use reliving all that again?

I lived in constant systematized chaos on both the inside and the outside of my mind. I was impulsive, crossed personal boundaries, was able to hyper-focus and see things other people missed but also found myself completely separate from the external world around me. I could not imagine having more than 30 second conversations with people. I did lots of great activities, but was on such a rev, that I was unable to think before acting. It was as if my body had a mind of its own. I was dropped from all the music programs at school, until some sympathetic teacher stuck me behind a snare drum.

Playing the drums was great for me, as was dancing later and later still Karate. My saving grace was using my creativity to get through life situations, but I was mad with all these repressed feelings and needs, and at not being able to do the little tasks like putting a stamp on a letter or cleaning my room. Oh yes, there was a time when I was a natural slob, room and appearance both, but that was to change in a few years with a different 'fatherly' influence.

Of course, I have some other problems I haven't gotten to all of them yet. See my mother wanted a girl. She really wanted me to have been a sweet baby girl. Instead, she got this nutty little boy. Well, she did what she could about that. I found early photos of me before kindergarten with hair to my waist in a braid…with a damned bow, which I'd have ripped out before stepping outside my house. What was she thinking? I mean most little kids all look alike, but I really stood out.

Standing out. Sometimes I liked the attention. You'd have figured most parents would have picked up on that and put me into acting classes! Other times I wished that I could just disappear; like at open house time or other events when my 'parents' would both show up with me. On those occasions, I pretended that I had been adopted, and since I looked nothing like my 'parents', people believed me! I was small and skinny, pale with this really long purple hair; that is, until I whacked it off with a pair of scissors at school one day and then Gaav took me to the barber's to make me look like a male (I think before that he may have been confused). I in fact looked much like my birth father, except that he was Japanese and that I had some of my mother's features overlaid on top of the Asian to give me an odd, but I think, appealing aspect. My mother bought my clothes, dressing me, thankfully, at school like a boy. Yes, shirts and slacks perfect for a boy that attended a prep school for the rich and famous.

Zelas, my mother, was about as tall as I am now...or an inch or so shorter, which made her tall compared to me, was oh so much younger than the other mothers—she was only fifteen years older than me—and was a drop-dead gorgeous blond. One who dressed like a tramp when she wasn't teaching. No man could keep his eyes off her, unless Gaav was there to terrify them.

And Gaav! Gods, he was a giant of a man, a hoodlum with long blazing orange hair and poor taste in clothes, leaning toward outlandish suits and an oversized, greasy trench coat. I knew him by another name at the time which translated to 'Demon Dragon King' or some such syndicate nonsense, but Gaav is who he was.

Also, he was kinda one of those really hairy guys...and it just totally creeped me out. It was (and still is!) just so gross to me. I shudder every time I think about having a body totally covered with orange curly fur like that...eeeewwwwww! Not that like more _facial_ hair wouldn't be a welcome sight! I'm now closing in on twenty and my upper lip is just barely sporting a faint fringe of darker hair! I haven't told Zelgadiss, who's more backwards than I am, but he has that scarred thing which really messed up his hair and skin layers. I think he'd be happy to have his eyebrows grow back on that one side, though I know he wishes for normal teenage changes to just happen and get over with soon.

So when the inevitable school gatherings came up, it was always soooo painfully obvious, which kids belong to which parents. Except mine. Nobody ever managed to hide successfully that little momentary look of surprise or confusion on their face when they'd meet my 'parents'. (See Zelgadiss? I _do_ know that look you always complained about getting from other people when they would first set eyes on you!) It actually was like a little kick in the stomach to me when that happened, no matter how much I told myself to be ready for it and _pretend_. But, it always happened, anyway. I hated that.

_

* * *

Zelgadiss heard his computer timer beep twice, signaling that it was time to turn in for the night. He closed the book using a piece of notebook paper to mark where he had left off. And left his room. He made the rounds of the house, checking that the outside doors were locked and the oven was off. Xelloss was straightening the front room, picking up stray newspapers and discarded items._

"Just finished your description of 'Gaav'," Zel said in passing. "ADD, yes…I thought so, but your relative calm is deceptive."

Xelloss simply smiled and said goodnight before turning in himself.

The next evening Zelgadiss brushed his teeth, stripped off his clothes, and slipped on clean boxers and a t-shirt for bed. The day had had its vicissitudes, including a near accident on the way to the high school, followed by a thankfully pleasant lunch conversation with Kagome, who was back with her 'not really a boyfriend', Inu. He really needed to sleep, however, the wanted to get through Xelloss' journal that night. He slid between the sheets, opened Xelloss' journal and started right in. Homework could wait.

**

* * *

Obsessive compulsive disorder.**

Man, what a day. I walked in the door after another exhilarating (ya, right...see earlier) day at school, and visiting a severely messed up, depressed friend after that, and then I was hit with this.

I knew something strange was going on when I noticed both of my roommates were home at this time of the afternoon. As I headed to my room, I noticed a medium sized package on the table, and thought nothing of it. But, when Lina showed up at our house a few minutes later, I was totally beginning to get freaked.

So, we had this big family talk' thing, and I could tell everyone was really nervous about how I would react. It turns out that it wasn't really anything all that bad. Well, it was and it wasn't. The whole thing was about this package coming from my dead mother. She died last month, of _that_ I was certain, I was there and saw her and my birth father blow up. And no matter what they say, it really _is_ better the second time around! But then this package came out of the blue, for me…from a dead woman.

Zelgadiss_ smiled. This had happened only a few days ago in fact. He had been curious about that box, but Xelloss had just come out and told them all that is contained a few worthless notes. No syndicate anything. Nothing to worry about. He had been quite genuine, and so they had taken him at his word. Well, now to find out_.

I took my box, went to my room, and locked the door. For some reason, I wasn't quite ready to share any of this with them yet...at least not until I knew what this was really all about...and what was in the box!

I cautiously opened it, sitting on the edge of my bed as I held it in my lap. On the top of the stack of things in there was a large legal looking envelope with my name on it. I opened it and found scraps of papers, notes, and journal writings, things that nobody except me had actually seen since my mother sealed them away. In the box I found some photographs—like the one I wrote about earlier which I'd destroyed of me with waist length hair and a braid!-- and a small lavender teddy bear. I guess she knew I would want to know a little bit more about my own story, so to speak. As I read the papers, I felt a tear forming in my eyes. The way she wrote, it sounded _just_ like she had known me all my life. Sniff! Crap...

The first one: Xelly was different right from birth. He was more active, more vocal, more inquisitive, and not in a safe way. We had to watch him every minute he was awake, and, more often than not, check on him several times during the night to untangle him from the covers, or to cover him up, or to take all the toys out of his bed so he could have room to sleep himself. (Oh, how sweet—Xelloss)

Another: I am totally exhausted! All the time! I love my child, more than anything in the world, but there are times when I wish I had never given birth to him. This causes me much stress and guilt. How could a mother feel this way about her son? Why did my son have to be born with these problems. I wish he'd been a little girl. We'd have so much to share. But _this_ child and I have no mutual interests. How can I keep him safe his whole life? How can I make life "normal" for him? (Funny now, huh?--Xelloss)

Another clipping: His kindergarten teacher loved his sweet personality. He can be a real charmer! She even overlooked his behavior. She thought he was just a little purple-eyed, purple-haired angel and she never complained about him carrying on. Then first grade came and our life fell apart. His father died and then Xelly got a teacher that was not as impressed by his charm. She immediately labeled him a behavior problem and criticized his every move. I got letters almost daily, describing every wrong move that he had made that day. She even went so far as to tell me that Xelly was immature and irresponsible and _I _was not helping things! I met repeatedly with her, I even had my old friend Rezo come with me once for support, trying to find ways to help Xelly with his 'behavior problems.' And that poor man!

A longer one: Things went from bad to worse as the fall went on. I married Mr. Gaav in hopes that a man about the house would help, but Xelly began to hate school more and more. He cried daily and begged me not to send him back. He began to fail and had no friends, because he was missing recess and break, because he was in trouble. Things finally came to a head in December when Xelly came home after a particularly bad day and just fell apart. He cried for hours and finally said "If you make me go back, I'll kill myself. Everyone hates me there." It tore me apart to hear my SIX year old tell me this. (Ah, too bad honey!—Xelloss)

And another: Gaav, has taught him to fight as an outlet for all his pent up aggressions. He also took him for a haircut, the ass. Now my beautiful child looks and acts like a bully. (Well get a clue, lady!—Xelloss)

Next entry: When we found this wonderful teacher, it was like finding an angel in disguise. She had him tested (which we couldn't do without a teachers help) and on medication before the end of the second term. By the end of the year he was reading! Then by the end of the summer he was reading at a grade four level, and by the next school year he was reading the books that I read, and testing at a university entrance level in comprehension as long as the test was given verbally! He still cannot do well on written tests. His understanding of the work he does in class is exceptional, however he cannot get the information from his head, through his pencil and onto his paper. And it's all the pencil's fault! (It often was! I can't write with a dull one and the teachers stopped letting me use the sharpener and I didn't know about mechanical ones…Thanks, Zelgadiss for the ready supply I have of them now…and, um, the erasable purple-ink pens…--Xelloss)

And another: The frustration that he goes through every day is phenomenal. In the morning he needs to be told how to get ready for school one step at a time until his medication kicks in. He is easily distracted by everything around him and loses his work constantly. The need for him to achieve is high. He constantly pressures himself to do better, then forgets what he was doing. He needs to be reminded just to sit and actually do the work that is in front of him.

A short note: Any type of change either in his routine or environment will completely throw him out of control for at least a week until he can become accustomed to the change.

Then one which I must have written: I'm 7yrs. old and sometimes I just have to fight. Not beat people up fight. but fight. Sometimes kids make fun of me I tell them to stop and they keep doing it then I get mad. And I yell at them. And sometimes we get into a fight and get in trouble. Not from Gaav, he thinks I'm stronger. but I'm not happy. I hope no one follows my steps. So take my advice don't get into fights. (How wise my little grasshopper—Xelloss)

I peered into the box, and studied the only thing that remained: the little teddy bear. Actually, there were a few other things: like photos of me as a baby and a group shot of my parents with Rezo and…my sister and old ones… but I'm not ready to write about those now. Anyway, looking down at the toy, I could almost imagine myself as an infant snuggled up to the little bear; but I had no direct memories of it. Still, it felt very special to me somehow. Maybe it had been hers? But wouldn't I have noticed before? Why had she kept it and…oh.

That's when I realized that this stuff must have been stuff my _birth_ _father_ had kept. I examined the mailing label more carefully. Ah yes, that syndicate central clearing house must still be in effect someplace. How sweet. The old man kept a few little momentos of his family that he _walked out on_ while going for his…cure…pretending to be dead! Well, I can …let go of all that anger now. He is dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead. Wow that's a real one-handed, two-finger workout on the keyboard!

Back to the bear. I picked it up, and gave it a little squeeze...rubbing my cheek on its head, as a tear finally leaked out of my eyes and ran down my face. It felt good; kind of a warm feeling inside that told me everything would be okay. I sat there for a while, lost in the feelings of the moment. Eventually I let out a deep sigh, and set the little bear down next to the pillow on my bed and went out to relieve my friends' fears for my sanity.

_

* * *

Beep! Beep! Zel's computer reminder interrupted his reading again. He hated having to stop, but he knew that with school the next day, he'd regret not getting his sleep. This time he had already dressed for bed and if the doors were wide open…then let one of his other roommates deal with it tonight. He shut off his light and fell instantly to sleep._

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Six.


	7. Xelloss' Journal Part 2

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! **

**Chapter Seven**

**Xelloss' Journal, Part 2**

" Was I on the inside looking out or was I on the outside looking in? One thing was for certain, confusion was a good friend of mine." _--_Xelloss

_

* * *

This time, Zelgadiss simply threw his wet swimming things into the washer and hid himself in his room. He removed the journal from under his pillow and became immersed immediately in Xelloss' story._

Another Journal entry-

Oh well...I remember those times all differently, I guess. Maybe I'll keep mother's little notes and pictures awhile longer…in a box in the closet. I don't know why.

Memories. Shall I salvage another piece of my synoptically damaged brain? Why not? I'll just concentrate and see if I can't just scrape up another of those younger WONDER years. Ah, yes… Like the time I told Gaav that I'd like to learn how to dance! He was tying to teach me to box or something and mentioned 'dancing around' and I told him 'sure!' and tried to waltz with him. He nearly beat the shit out of me.

I should have seen it coming. It hadn't been the first time he'd done that. Yeah, like this other time I remember…

I walked in the back door, with my head still spinning from all the strange and disconcerting thoughts I'd been having lately. Mistake number one. Mother could sense these little opportunities from a mile away, I think. As soon as I had stepped in the door, she made her first move.

"Xelly...can you take out the trash tonight? Tomorrow's garbage day..."

"Huh?" I paused, a bit slow on the uptake.

Damn. She caught me off guard again! I hadn't been able to clear my head and focus on the serious business of family life before I entered the battlefield. I had been surprised (okay, and a little intimidated, as always) to see my stepfather standing in the kitchen when I came in. The man was the size of a house and mean when he was drunk, which was more of the time than he was sober, and he was crushing a beer can in one hand.

That momentary little hesitation was all it took. As soon as I realized that I hadn't really paid complete attention to what she said, my heart sank. In front of Gaav, no screw-ups were allowed, no matter how trivial. And there was definitely nothing trivial about an opportunity for him to jump all over my ass, as far as he was concerned.

"What… mother?" I asked sheepishly.

"Goddamit Xelloss! Pull your head out of your ass and listen to your mother once in a while. Shit, I can't believe you sometimes. Don't you speak fuckin' English?"

_Don't' you? _I was tempted to say. Instead, I tried to defend myself. "Yes father, of course I do... but I'd barely even gotten inside the door when..." I began, but I was cut short by another blast of curses.

Oh and, sorry for the language (I'm apologizing to myself? How nuts is _that_? Well, I guess I just have _too_ much respect for myself…) Gaav talked that way and it wouldn't be right not to capture some of the flavor of the character now 'just like I was taught in composition class'! Moving on…

Then he waved me off dismissively as he gave me his patented look of disgust and disappointment..."Don't give me any of your Bullshit attitude! Just do what she fuckin' asked you to do...you know your mother doesn't expect that much from you, at least you could fuckin' pay attention. Hell, what a fuckin' idiot you are sometimes. Wake up!" Gaav yelled. He was just getting warmed up. I could tell he was starting to enjoy this, as usual, when the half-empty beer can sailed through the air at my head.

God, I really hated him sometimes (Okay, you're right I should be honest here...) _all_ of the time. Val, I don't know how you survived to become the really and truly terrific person you are today. I really do not. How long did you suffer that manic as your stepfather? Thirteen years! And you didn't try to kill yourself? I know you ran off a lot, but he always managed to get you back, didn't he? Well, now he's dead and gone like the other creeps.

**Hurray!**

Ah…well… eventually Gaav was gone… out of my life (and into yours, sorry Val) a few months later. For good. Wrong word. No _good_ came to my life after that-- until Lina, that is. That's because mother-dearest was always looking out for my _good_. There's that _word_ again…

I remember an endless stream of painful and boring days at school, followed by awkward family dinners—just me, mother, and another one of her boyfriends. Mercifully, the meal would be over, and I would trudge up the stairs to my room. My sanctuary. We had moved around a bit when I was younger, I suppose because my parents were embarrassed about their age differences. I mean, my father was a professor at the university when he married my mother at about _fourteen_! We were out in the country at one time, but that didn't last for long. One thing I shared with my mother was the love of the city and all its excitement.

Anyway, mother and I were settled into the home which only recently burned down. And I had my own room all to myself. My sanctuary, I'll say it again. I'd trained her pretty well. She wouldn't disturb me in my room, unless the house was on fire or something. She noticed I'd matured sexually rather early and left me plenty of private time (I won't write about that embarrassing instance when she walked in without knocking and caught me 'busy' doing what young guys do.) And I practically never left my room. For awhile, until my age of wanderlust set in. My wonderful room. I really loved that room. I had my own bathroom attached to my bedroom, and I could hop in the shower any time I felt like it. This became more important to me as time went on, which I gotta explain pretty soon. **The start of my obsessive-compulsiveness with neatness and cleanliness.**Okay, so maybe the water bill got a little high sometimes. Hey, at least I was always clean! HA, HA!

Guess that's what upset me so much when my mother turned over that room to Zelgadiss. Although I had my own place (the converted garage with loft), that first room had once been both my sanctum and my hell on earth…

So what had gotten me started with the cleaning compulsion? Mother had started me with those dancing lessons, finally. Art wasn't for me, but the dancing got me excited plus it was physical. Unfortunately, not all of the physical part was what I'd expected. I might as well get this part over with… The dance instructor was a pedophile (well, mother hadn't planned that part, maybe…then later I think she was disappointed that I hadn't turned out to be gay to suit her purposes…). Then there I come. I was just too pretty to ignore, too hungry to succeed and be the center of attention. I loved the attention. At first, Du Bois just fawned on me, excessively. The other kids were envious, some of them…the one's he'd not abused before me. _Those_ kids were probably relieved and pitied me. Pity or hate, but no friends. I was a good dancer, better than good! I was a gifted, dedicated student in dance. I excelled and he showered me with praises and extra time. Those extra hours, where we were alone…well, my nightmares were just beginning.

So back to the story…ah yes…bad day at school…family dinner…off to my room… Upon entering my room, I immediately flopped down on my bed, and kicked my shoes off onto the floor. Gods, I just didn't know what was wrong with me. Everything in my life just felt strange to me...I lived in this constant state of anxiety and frustration with the world...like I woke up one day and found out that I got cast in the wrong movie...my script just doesn't seem to match with anyone else's. In my heart, I just knew that things weren't supposed to be that way! I think I was permanently stuck in the twilight zone. Somebody must have made a mistake somewhere, I was sure. I just had this growing sense of despair inside of me. It felt like a huge chasm growing between myself and the rest of the world, that slowly kept getting wider and wider. I was worried that pretty soon I wouldn't be able to see across to the other side. I guess I'm afraid I'm losing touch with reality...their reality, not mine. I just felt really alone, I guess. I was totally convinced that I was the only sexually abused boy for at least a fifty-mile radius. Who could have possibly understood even just a little bit of what went on inside my messed up head?

I…ah…won't describe what happened to me. I certainly don't want to write that kinda stuff down. Pornographic sicko … I mean, I'm the one reading this and I don't want to. The mutilation was only the icing on the cake, lousy comparison. I can even watch the video if I want to relive it again in color. In my nightmares, it's black and white, good and evil… blood is black. I feel sick now. Which brings me right back to my need-to-be-clean thing.

First, let me discuss this intelligently. OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, came on in a flash, right after my stepfather started touching me _in those places_, if you get my meaning.

Right. Compulsions are the behaviors, or actions, that someone with OCD does to try to shut down the worry thoughts. Another name for compulsions is rituals. By doing compulsions, people with OCD hope to keep bad things they worry about from happening. They think that doing a certain ritual will make a bad feeling go away, and they feel scared that if they don't do the ritual something bad will happen.

The exact cause of OCD is not clear. Research has shown that it may be associated with a chemical imbalance in the brain. Surprise! Medicines, including ones called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can be effective in treating OCD. SSRIs make serotonin (a brain chemical) more available where it is needed. This effect may help correct the chemical imbalance that may have led to OCD. Got that? Okay, here comes the other side. In addition, experts recognize behavior therapy as an important, effective treatment for OCD. In behavior therapy, the therapist uses different methods to help patients feel less worried about their obsessions and to spend less time on rituals or obsessive thoughts.

Question. Which method of treatment do you think my _mother_, no _Zelas_ (at this time she stopped the pretense of any 'motherliness' and so I called her 'Zelas'), an expert a many fields of mental dis-impairment and sadistic cruelty, chose for her beloved only son? Bingo! More drugs to add to the chemical imbalance in my brain.

Here's another 'day-in-the-life' story! Every morning, I'd take a long shower and get dressed before school just like other kids. But then I'd wash my hands and arms for an hour before breakfast. I might have wanted to stop, but my hands just didn't feel clean enough and I couldn't get myself to turn off the water. Sometimes I'd scrubs my hands so hard that they'd become red and raw. Now that was really bad for Karate and my drumming. After eating, I'd feel that I had to wash again and clean my bedroom until it was spotless.

It would take so long to wash and dress that I'd have to rush to get to school on time. My days were miserable. I'd try not to touch doorknobs or handrails, worrying that if I did I might catch a serious disease. Clearly the meds weren't working. The problem was not going away. Then there were so many bottles I might have taken the wrong stuff occasionally.

I'd get behind in my class work because I'd need to keep checking it repeatedly. During a quiz or test I'd check and re-check every answer and erase anything that wasn't perfectly straight or neat, which with my ADD problems meant I got very nearly nothing accomplished. I would worry that if everything was not perfect, something terrible would happen. And it would, of course because all that had nothing to do with keeping the abuse from happening-- get it now? I felt dirty and used and bad and I wanted to get clean and pure and perfect. At night, I couldn't go to bed until I had straightened my already clean room and bathed several times, leaving little time for homework or much else. Often I recall staying up late getting things in her room 'just right' and would be dead tired the next day.

Oh, um then Du Bois married my mother and moved in. That made things more convenient.

Lucky for me the compulsive shit seemed to 'cure itself' once my abuse stopped, that or all the drugs finally fried that part of my brain. Well, that can't be true because I still have just a tiny bit of that in me, don't I? I still do like a clean place and a clean body, though I'm a lot less critical now than ever, except when it comes to my hair. And I can live with that little foible!

**Approaching My High School years…**

But first…more on ADD! This I got off of a website so bear with me…_Early discussions of AD/HD theorized that individuals outgrew the disorder (Ingram, Hechtman, & Morgenstein, 1999). This notion has been dispelled by long-term studies showing that anywhere from **70-80 percent of children with AD/HD exhibit significant signs of restlessness and distractibility into adolescence and young adulthood, while a large percentage suffer co-morbid psychiatric disorders, academic failure, and social isolation and/or rejection **(Barkley et al., 1990; Barkley, 1998). Cuffe et al. (2001) found that **children with persistent AD/HD have more severe AD/HD and adverse risk factors later in life. Adverse factors impact the expression of AD/HD and increase the risk for associated disorders that compromise adjustment over the lifespan. **Thus, AD/HD is a lifelong disorder that requires a developmental framework for appropriate diagnosis and treatment (Teeter, 1998)._

Whoa, maybe I should tell my doctor about this! I don't think he even suspects. I am just too good an actor for my own good it seems!

Skipping right along…

After my eventual release from the hospital after my stepfather molested and tortured and maimed me to near death… I got depressed and tried to kill myself and got sent up to the local mental institute. Whew! My, my… that did fly right by didn't it? Funny, at the time it seemed to take forever. Or no time at all. Timeless in fact.

Out.

Of.

Time.

Whoa, Nelly! Where I'm I going with this? Back to work! Focus, Xelloss!

I often suffered temper tantrums at home if I didn't get my way. That was so easy to write! I was a temperamental kid before, mind you, but at this time I was worse than ever. My mother had my own place built in place of a garage, so I no longer had to re-live my past horrors in my once cherished bedroom in the main house. I had been condemned to the nut house following my first suicide attempt in that bedroom. That resulted in a flood of antidepressants added to the already overwhelming amount of OCD and ADD drugs being pumped through my system. Then, just to top it off and (hopefully) send me over the deep end, I had been purposely and maliciously misdiagnosed in the hospital with schizophrenia and given massive dosages of anti-psychotic drugs.

I walked around like a zombie in the hospital and then out of it, when I actually took the medication --or, more like it, couldn't avoid it. I lived in a twilight world until my second year of high school when I met Lina and my world changed forever. Let's see if I can remember any of the meds! I was on Effexor, Klonopin and Neurontin. Some psychostimulants even though I became agitated on Wellbutrin. Oh, this is no fun to write about! Like any of this is…

So, home at last and not speaking to Zelas and my stepfather safely locked away where he couldn't hurt me again (Sure, sure…in a bell tower at the school for gods'sakes! Wow, that's so much fun to write now that I know they're both dead, dead, dead! How many hours of psychiatric care did it take for me to be able to write about _that _with a sense of humor? I've made that man a millionaire…) I was either at the dojo or playing the drums…I know I left that part out but I get going and do that. It wasn't like I was trying to avoid talking about something…or maybe it was. Anyway, if I wasn't doing karate or practicing drums, I could usually be found in my place on the computer.

Yeah, or out and about enjoying the freedom I'd had stripped away from me while in lock down at the nut house. These became my free-wheeling days of exploration…

Here's an example of those days:

After two hours of flipping through websites, joking with strangers via e-mail, downloading viruses to crash sites containing kidporn, and trying to hitch rides out of this world using my little computer, I often decided to take a walk. I did this often and got to know everyone within a two-mile radius that ever stepped out-of-doors or owned a business. People loved me-- older people that is. I didn't talk to kids my age except when I had to at the dojo. Some days I'd walk for hours and lose myself downtown, until the sun was finally easing below the horizon. The chaos of heavy traffic, bright lights and flashing neon signs soothed and organized my scatty brain. The world overflowed my mind as I strolled along the crowded walkway downtown. Normal conversation, the padding of sneakers, the rush of moving doors, the clang of outdoor restaurant goers, the swoosh of slow traffic--all became thunderous, drumming on my ears, beating on my skull.

Yes, I had let the medication wear off. Silly me. I rummaged through my pockets for another dose of the ADD stuff, wondering why I needed it. The books never got read, I didn't dance anymore and I didn't get invited to any parties. I swallowed it anyway and focused on getting to the dojo. Yes, maybe I could relax there. The walkway in front of the dojo was crowded with youngsters with neon-striped hair and nose rings. Their laughter seared my mind. They were so loud, both on my ears and on my eyes, that I was nearly hit by a car while crossing the street.

Inside my world grew smaller, controlled. It was a place known to me as SAFE. Yes, my mind slowed and smoothed. Who would understand? Was I on the inside looking out or was I on the outside looking in? One thing was for certain, confusion was a good friend of mine.

**High school: **

It totally struck me when I was sitting in my homeroom class one morning in my first year of high school… Did I mention missing middle school? I think I skipped the whole getting messed up, hospitalized years didn't I? Why? Because that's a secret…well no I already wrote that I'd rather not write about that stuff. Ah well… I'm in my high school period now and there's no going back at this time. I'm going to write in a cohesive single-time-frame style. Here goes…

As I looked around the classroom, I realized that I didn't really know any of these kids, and, of course, they didn't really know me either. Oh, they might have thought they knew what I was, but you can bet they were way off…all wrong. Nobody knew who I wa as a living, real person. In fact, most didn't even know I existed that year. And worse yet, nobody seemed to really care! But, I guess I didn't do anything to make anybody want to know me, either. I think that deep down I was afraid that even after they really did get to know me—_especially _after they got to really know me, what I'm I saying?-- they wouldn't like me anyway. See? Built in excuse for nobody liking me! (My shrink will love this breakthrough I bet!)

And another thing: a lot of people had been getting pissed off with me. I guess it was mostly because I was even more distracted than usual. I just couldn't help it! When my mind was totally consumed with something or in a haze of drugs, I'd have a hard time paying much attention to the outside world. I'd bump into things when I walked-- other people, drinking fountains, walls. Stuff like that. My teachers kept telling me that I wasn't working up to my potential.' Heck, like how would they even know? What potential? As a future child molester and perverted syndicate super genius?

Ah yes, I'd learned about all that syndicate crap along the way. How Zelas was not just the (gasp!) principal at my high school, but the head of an entire regional syndicate operation! Yawn…heard that all before, I know. But it was first year of high school that I got…involved, so to speak. Zelas told me that she had arranged our classes so that I would be able to observe two other kids of interest to her. That would be Lina and Zelgadiss.

We shared an advanced English class for homeroom, though they never noticed me, advanced biology, ditto, and I had a computer lab with Zelgadiss. Gods, he was a mess! (Sorry if you are reading that, little brother, but it was true of you back then. I can say that knowing that you know how I feel about you in the here and now.) He was always hiding his face and hands. He never spoke, well he did after he and I determined that we alone understood computers and how to control the world with our magical fingertips! I wanted to get to know him better, but I couldn't hold it together long enough to even become corporeal in his world. Lina, well, I fell in love with her the moment I saw her come into that first classroom. I'd sit in the way back so I could watch her walk in. So beautiful, self-assured, and self-absorbed! I dreamed about her every night and during the day…

But to Lina I was truly insubstantial!

I was a creature who existed only in the spiritual world. Occasionally my flesh and body form appeared in one of their classes, but only as an annoyance.

If things hadn't gotten any better… I was on the verge of another suicide attempt at any moment that year. But as I became more and more certain that _that_ was what Zelas wanted me to do, I didn't. Instead, I'd spend a few weeks trying to run away and hide from my innermost feelings, only to have them sooner or later catch up with me.

Then, there'd be hell to pay. You think I'd learn after a while, wouldn't you now? _Man, I'm getting' real tired of kicking my own ass, here. _(Heh, I stole that line from my pal, Val, not that I knew him back then but it just seemed so _a-pro-pre-**at**_!) Um, I think that's enough about that year. On with the most exciting one!

* * *

_Zelgadiss rubbed his eyes and checked the time. He should go to sleep, but he concentrated and tried to remember his own first year in high school. Ah…he was so in hate with himself and the world, he wondered how anyone could have wanted to get to know him. Well, no one but Lina and, at times, Gourry cared or tolerated him. He'd known Gourry before Lina, even babysat the little ones a few times. Gourry was a year ahead in school but they were on the same fencing team. In the fourth grade they played soccer together in Gourry's back yard. But those two were it; that is, after the accident. Before that everyone wanted to be around him, though he had been such an arrogant ass he mostly kept them all at a safe distance. Except Lina. Lina was…well, magical. Xelloss immediately sensed that about Lina too, huh. He hated dredging up the past like that. Better to get lost in someone else's worse one…_

* * *

Somehow, I got through that first year back to a school with other kids. I don't know how to this day! I did come to a major decision, though and I began the first day of summer—no more medication. I knew I couldn't just stop abruptly. Who knows what my body would have done? I was afraid of landing back in the hospital and never being allowed out again. So, I slowly eliminated them a bit at a time, starting with the antidepressants and psychostimulants. I was very clever, too! Zelas never guessed. I took out the right number, washed them down the sink, and re-ordered new prescriptions on time. She never knew. I made it through the summer feeling better each day, well there were bad days, but gradually I was mostly drug free by the time the second year of high school began. I was still taking the ADD meds every so often, but cut those out too, just to say I could do it and still hold a conversation.

So when that second official year of high school rolled around I was ready. Then I got new 'orders'. Now I was to become _friends_ with Lina and Zelgadiss, to start with, then others of Lina's comrades. I had to alter everyone's classes in time for the course schedules to get picked up.

Picking up schedules… I was really nervous about that day. I got my first migraine the morning I woke up and had to face _them_, my new 'orders', and my life without any drug crutch. The whole thing at school lasted only a half an hour, but I had been preparing all summer long! I did make it through…

I remember walking home from that preview to my second year of high school following my first real meeting of Lina and her gang. I had managed to get them all in a class, as per orders, and match their names to their faces. More importantly, to me personally though, was knowing that Zelgadiss and I would play some online game together later that afternoon. I was soooo excited! I took a deep breath, and relaxed a little bit when my feet finally landed on the sidewalk. I danced a few steps, the first in a very long time. I had successfully crossed the street. Wow! I know it doesn't sound like much, but sometimes you just gotta celebrate those little personal victories when you get the chance, ya know?

As I lay in my bed, trying to fall asleep that night, I was debating with myself whether I should return to the school the next day and try to befriend Zelgadiss, or not. On one hand, I was definitely a little bit afraid. Afraid of myself, and afraid of him thinking that I was afraid of him. I knew how I goofy could get around that type; his type, that is. You know, stone-faced, unfeeling, introverted, and serious. I was afraid that I'd start over-reacting in order to get a response out of him. I did not fail to outdo my worst fears. See, Zelgadiss was different still. He was smart and with those soul-searching eyes boring into me-- ugh, I was sunk! What an ass I made of myself that first day! _Especially_ around him! I had to stop him from dropping that acting class. It had been the only one I could get all the 'other persons of interest' into. Imagine trying to find something that both Gourry and Zelgadiss could be in that wasn't a sport! Then add Amelia, a freshman ! The beginning acting class was about it! And Zelgadiss was determined to get out of being in it with the kids he knew!

Gods, what was I to say to him if he actually was there the next day? Worse, what if he wasn't? Or Lina? Or that hunk, Gourry? Or that Val punk!

I was totally convinced that more than one of them was capable of kicking my ass for no real reason, let alone if they thought I was actually looking at them or trying to weasel in on their conversations. Karate was one thing, 80 pounds and an extra foot of height was something else. Ah well, I wasn't afraid of Zelgadiss beating me up, _really._ I mean, he made me plenty nervous, but not for that reason. Like I said, it was those eyes of his. I felt like I could have absolutely no secrets from those damn eyes of his. I felt totally transparent in front of him. That scared the heck out of me. A lot.

Okay, I'm one of those people who think that the eyes are windows into the soul. Dumb, but I do. I was afraid that he could see into me and discover all my secrets. So, I had perfected the hidden-eye smile and kept my bangs long. I had secrets no one should have to live with and I wasn't ready to share them just yet.

Lina…she liked me from the start. At least she was the first to treat me as if I _could_ belong in her little gang. You know, I can't write about her just yet. My heart just explodes!

Sure I can…

I can write about the time I told her how I felt, and kissed her. That momentous occasion happened after the band was formed and I had just enough confidence from having gained a few friends. Then I went a bit overboard. Wow, she scared me! She was _so_ angry when I invaded her personal space that way!

You see, I was just hoping we could be...uh...well, that we could just be, you know…lovers. I was really horny all the time and I just wanted to touch every girl I could, but with Lina it was much, much worse. With her, I wanted it to be like in the movies. I'd just sweep her off her feet. So romantic! I wince to myself _to this day_ when I realize just how stupid that idea was _at the time_.

Oh _man_!

Anyway, back to then…I still couldn't get past that one simple thought. Me and Lina. I was so sure that she knew how I felt. Surely she could see it! But, I didn't know her well enough to gauge what her reaction might be. Would she beat the shit out of me? Or just ignore me at school, maybe? Throw me out of the band!

Suddenly, I got a picture of her in my mind, watching smugly as half the football team was beating me to death in the main quad. No! She wouldn't do that, would she? She would probably get more pleasure out of doing the job herself. Just don't go there, I told myself, its way too painful to even think about.

So when we were alone that night walking back from the bakery and the snow was starting to fall and swirl and I needed to dance with her and…kiss her. That was a bad decision on my part. I was not…how did Zelgadiss put it? Ah yes, 'not considering the consequences of my actions'. Pretty accurate assessment, you have to admit! See why I _should_ have been afraid of him? He could see right past my mask.

I remember the pain. Her slap. Her anger. Oh, my. What was I gonna do? How was I even gonna talk to her after that? As much as I was attracted to her physically, I was just as intrigued by the idea of simply knowing her as a person. There was just something about her. I had never met someone who sparked my curiosity like that...made me just want to get to know them better. Well, Zelgadiss sure, but that was different. He was a _guy_ and well, that was different. Way different, thank the gods… Lina made me _tingly _all over!

Well…not right at that moment. I was lost in a depressing fog of painful emotions. The feeling of rejection I felt from it all crushed me a little bit inside. Another rejection. All of a sudden, it looked like I was back on the list of the uncool and unworthy. Heck, I was probably on the list of to-be-avoided-at-all-costs!' For some reason (okay, not _some_ random reason...you know the reason!), I had been hoping we could almost be like, kinda boyfriend and girlfriend, or something...you know, beyond casual acquaintances... Now I prayed to any and all of the gods to work their magic, some miracle, which would allow me to talk to her again without breaking **one of the million unwritten rules of high school society** (that I never totally understood anyway). The passionate but nice boy inside me would settle for any stupid reason to get close to her. She was just so darn sexy to me...

Well, there was no need to worry anymore, that was for sure! It seemed unlikely that would _ever_ happen. A wave of despair washed over me as I realized that I had once again managed to alienate someone before they even got a chance to really know me. Only this time, it hurt even more than usual.

Maybe I just needed to quit the whole 'having friends' bit and go back to my life in the shadowworld. All of a sudden, those shadows seemed so safe and welcoming...so familiar. More than anything, I wanted to hide. I wished I could just make the world stop for a while, so I could have some time to figure out what to do.

We, Lina and I, walked back to my house where the rest of the band was waiting. It took a little while, but we eventually made it. It was like trying to lead a scared dog back to its abusive master. If I went too fast, or made any vaguely threatening moves, I was sure she would just run away. OR was it the other way around?

I just needed to accept to the idea of being alone forever, because I really didn't see any other options. All my life it had been the same cycle over and over again...I meet some kid who I think I like, then I do something stupid to alienate him or her or make him or her think I'm just weird, then I get depressed when I realize what a waste of time and feelings the whole thing were in the first place. I know I'm going end up alone in the end anyway, so why couldn't I just stop trying?

Me, and the stupid moth, the one dashing its brains out into the bright lamp. We'll never learn, I'm afraid. I am the moth and Lina's the light of my so-called _life_. I guess some things in life are just more powerful than we are.

Just replaying all this in my mind in order to write it down dredged up some really sad feelings. The same truths then hold true today. For me.

So the other night, after thinking about losing Lina again, I flopped down on my bed, my hands automatically reached for the little lavender teddy bear that now resided next to my pillow. I hugged him tightly to my chest, as I lay on my side while I thought about my dilemma. After a couple minutes, my hands were idly stroking over the bear, as my brain was searching furiously for an answer to my problem. Soon, my hands and eyes were pointing out to me something that seemed quite important all of a sudden. Reluctantly, my full attention went back to the bear in my hands. My fingers were playing with a small tag on the back of the bear, and I noticed that there was some writing on it. As I read it, the irony of it all made me smile and weep to myself at the same time.

It seems that my little lavender teddy bear, sent to me by my most certainly dead mother or father, had a name.

His name was Zelgadiss.

God, I just hoped my instincts were correct...that I really could trust what I had seen in those eyes of his. That he would be a friend like no other to me and listen to me and just SEE ME! For once!

I promised myself then that I would tell him about myself, my problems…Oh, not all at once! That would have send anyone running! But just open up and let one secret out little by little.

_Zelgadiss heard the beeps, but ignored them this time. He didn't have that much more to read of Xelloss' story. Down coffee in morning…take nap in English…_

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Seven.


	8. Xelloss' Journal End, Plus More

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! **

**Chapter Eight**

**Xelloss' Journal, Part 3 **

_"__Life is not a rehearsal, there is always an audience in attendance somewhere." —_Zel to Xelloss

* * *

_Zelgadiss heard the beeps, but ignored them this time. He didn't have that much more to read of Xelloss' story._

You see, I kinda have this problem (oh yes, just ONE more! Bear with me, huh? I mean, it's not as if you don't have any either! And besides…I have to live with me forever)-- I can't really tell a lie. I mean, of course I can, just not convincingly. At least, not without really getting into my part and acting it all out perfectly. Most of the time, I go to great efforts to avoid situations where I would need to avoid telling the truth. There's just something inside me that absolutely hates to lie. So, even when I convince myself to try it, that little part of me totally sabotages the effort. I've learned that it's totally pointless to even try.

It's even hard for me to do the good, old-fashioned lying by omission. You know, not telling an _untruth_, but just not _telling_, period. I struggled with my inner demons as I thought more about sharing my innermost thoughts with Zelgadiss. Opening up to Zelgadiss, I determined would go something like this: "Hey, I know you think I'm kind of weird but I'm really smart like you but I got this ADD problem and a bit of OCD and I'm a victim of abuse and too many drugs from that time in the mental hospital…And I'm getting a little depressed about how totally screwed up I've managed to get everything in my life...but, other that that, I'm doing fine. Great. Everything is just okay-dokay! Wanna be my friend?"

Cool, eh? That's right. You got it. Lame-o. Even I don't like the sound of me, when I put it that way! So I came up with the perfect line to answer all the prying questions, "That's a secret!" 'Course that also makes me an annoying fruitcake— Lina's pet name for me, I believe. And she's a friend now! Imagine what the people I don't hangout with call me! Well…I don't have to imagine. I've heard it all. Anyway…on with the story!

Zelgadiss was hired by Zelas to take care of me while he was at a conference…with Rezo, his father! I remember nearly losing it for good when I found out! I was so mad and hurt.

Later, it dawned on me that what Zelas and Rezo had really given me an incredible opportunity. A chance to make a close friend. As soon as I realized that, a sudden sense of panic overcame me. I realized I was totally clueless just how to do that. I'd never had any relationships in my life before--well just Lain, but even she had been only a marginal friend-- much less a really close, best-friend type relationship.

I had no idea what to do! I just knew that somehow I needed to find out what it was hiding inside him, because he was not very happy either. Yes. Pondering that idea for a while, I realized that deep down I wished that he could know me better. The real me...not the faggy geek (Val's nickname for me for a short time…see what I mean?) that he surely thought I was, that I'd been tagged with. It seemed really important to me for him to see who I really was. The real me: the one that nobody knew.

And then he could help me with Lina! Geez...what was I thinking? What a really scary idea, even if it was actually possible for me to accomplish!

Sometimes I have to wonder if my head really was messed up permanently!

Still, I was determined to show him a good time while he was staying over, and make a supreme effort to impress him with my computer setup and my ability to buy us dinner and get around. Heck, that was usually the easy part for me anyway, the computer. That seemed like the only way I was gonna have a chance with him...I had to show him we could work together...that I wasn't an unnecessary risk in his life. I just couldn't stand the thought of him worrying I was gonna be a problem for him. No, I wanted him to appreciate me for who I was, and what I was capable of doing, under the right circumstances. He was hopelessly shy and painfully awkward around other people, but I never doubted my own abilities to get past that and get us on common ground.

Computers… when it came to stuff like that, I simply knew I could do it better than most. If I really had to...

What I was really most worried about was trying to figure out how I could avoid confirming his suspicion that I was indeed a complete geek and a total nutcase...and a total waste of his time. I didn't act like a total fruitcake most of time, did I? I asked myself. Hmmm...No, I decided.

**At least I don't think I do. Do I?**

Well, you know how that weekend went, yeah, um… right. Me knocking him down a hill in the park and knocking myself out! He ended up taking care of me! Ah, well…we did learn some things about one another and become friends in spite of my best laid plans gone awry…

Okay, well then there was another rough memory.

We were at school and it was time to test out some of the video making software he had already installed and been working on for some time. I had been allowed to handle the camera and take a few shots. Then he lent me the manual to read for the week, but I had a surprise for him…tricky bastard that I thought I was!

When I realized that he was finally aware of my presence, Zelgadiss let out a little smile and gave me a shy wave. I took that as an opening for me to approach him and speak.

"Uh...hey...uh, Zelgadiss. I read the book you gave me last night. You can have it back now, if you...uh...need it, or anything." Then I cautiously handed it back to him.

He gave me an odd look, "You're going need it to read the rest of the chapters, aren't you?"

I must have looked confused. "Uh, well...no...Uh...I mean, um...I read the whole book last night, actually. Twice." Now, I was the one who was confused, he got mad at me!

"I haven't the time to argue with you. You really do need to read through it a few times to completely understand it. Plus, you'll probably need to keep it for a reference to help guide you through the first few steps of the project." He must have seen the downcast look on my face because he sighed and said, "Listen, I'm not pissed with you, all right?"

Suddenly worried that he was trying to give me any easy out...assuming I would bail on him the first chance I got, I smiled cheerfully. "Well, uh...thanks, but I really don't think that I'll need it any more. I _really_ have read it all the way through two times. I should be okay without having it to refer to; I mean, I have pretty good recall for stuff like that."

"Are you playing me for a fool?" at least that was what that hard look he gave me asked. But he couldn't see anything in my eyes to tell him that I was jerkin' him around there...

"What are you? Some kind of speed reader or something?" Zelgadiss asked me with a little surprise.

"Something like that, I guess," I said. Now I was really embarrassed, but I never blushed like he did as a dead giveaway.

"And, you think you have everything in that book in your head now, huh? Well, we'll see what you can do with it, all right?" he gave me a somewhat malicious little smirk.

I sat down, and looked over at him nervously. He was daring me to fail, or show off!

"Open MovieMaker," he said, "And go to the recent files list. Open the image labeled practice still' and we'll have a look at it."

I easily accomplished that with a few clicks. So far, so good.

"Ok, now I want you to practice on this image. First, I want you to pull up the histogram and have a look at it. Tell me what you see," he directed me.

Two more quick clicks, and I was right there.

"Uh, well...let's see," I answered, "The tonal balance is pretty messed up. You can see how the histogram is all spiked up in the dark range...which means the image is too dark, and it has too much contrast, and not enough balance through the middle tones. Whoever shot this really blew it. I mean, if you spot metered it correctly, you'd never have this problem..." I went on.

"Well, thanks for the critique, next time I'll try and do a better job when I shoot a picture? But obviously, I'm not a professional' like you are," he said dryly.

Ah, no…I had insulted the guy and self-esteem wasn't his strong point either. Luckily, I was wrong about Zelgadiss. He was a tough one.

I discovered this when he went on saying, "But, you're right. So, what about the image? What are we gonna do to fix it?" he asked.

"Should be pretty simple," I replied. After a few more clicks, I had done basically the same things that he would have done.

"So, what else would you do to get this image ready for production?"

"Well, I might crop it a little differently...maybe sharpen up some of the details?" I suggested aloud, but mostly to myself.

"All right," he said, "do whatever you think is needed and we'll print it out. Then, we'll print out the edit I did on it yesterday, and see how they compare."

"Damn," He muttered to himself. He was standing there right beside me, looking over as we compared the two images (He and I are about the same height, give or take a growth spurt). Nevertheless, I felt that his was clearly better, despite his reaction.

He gave me a curious look.

"Uh, well...heck! What is it, Zelgadiss?" I finally asked quietly, in frustration. "I mean, the way you keep staring at me...like I know the answer to some question you have in your head. It kinda freaks me out when you do that mind-reader thing. If you want to know something, just ask me, okay? I'm really not as much of a geek as you must think I am. I mean, just because I'm, uh...well, you know.."

"Odd?" he supplied.

"Um…yeah… It doesn't mean, um...it doesn't mean that you can't just talk to me like a normal person, okay?" I said, with a little indignation.

Shit! He was a little embarrassed at being caught staring at me, and he blushed slightly (now who's the shy one, Zelgadiss?).

"Sorry. I guess I'm just a little curious about you," he said, honestly. "Here you come out of nowhere, and you're like some kind of freaking genius or something! You read a two-inch thick software manual in one day, and memorize it. You say you've never used MovieMaker before, but look at this print! It's far better than mine, and that annoys me some...it's really not quite as easy as you just made it look!"

I stood there gaping like an idiot at his outburst. "N-no! Yours is b-better! Really! The composition works better because of your cropping. And I think your coloring is far subtler. You have a real artist's eye. I have just… studied technique."

Well, I was right and he knew it! He seemed mollified by my honesty and accurateness. He prized those traits and hated any form of deceit, I learned.

"I'm getting the impression that you are a…talented guy. But, I have to say that I'm also confused, because you totally hide it. You could be one of the smartest and most popular guys in the whole school, yet you're like a shadow around here...almost totally invisible."

I was floored. I must have given him the strangest look, like the mere idea of what he had just said was totally ridiculous. "I just keep to myself. I'm not a real social' person, I guess," I said quietly.

I could see that this was going to take a little work, this friendship thing. And, at this point, I was totally intrigued. I just had to know more about him. And let him know what made me tick. Somehow, I managed to toss an entire lifetime of fears and inhibitions completely aside. I was determined to be the best friend a guy could have.

"Zelgadiss, c'mon. Let's go home!" I suggested. "I've seen enough for one day."

He gave me a surprised look. "Oh…all right. But I have to stop at the locker first. We have practice today so I have my guitar to carry and…"

"I'll take the camera and maybe I can get some live shots on the way!" I said. Well, I probably giggled because I was so excited.

He looked confused.

So I added, "It won't be a problem. Just trust me, okay?"

I could tell part of him wanted to, but his conscience was giving him a hard time.

"Just think of it as a field lesson for me. I won't drop it!" I promised with a smile. Again, I looked into those big blue eyes of his and tried to will him the faith to trust me.

"Well...uh...I guess so...but if anything happens to that camera, I have to pay for it," Zelgadiss muttered.

"Cool," I replied, before he could finish that thought. "Grab your stuff and follow me. And don't worry, everything's going to be all right!"

"Ok...fine," he said.

"I'm really not so bad, now that you've gotten to know me, right?" Gods I was soooo needy sounding!

I looked long and hard into his eyes, trying to figure out just what he really was thinking. But, I couldn't find anything in there except caution...and a little ray of hope. "So...uh...you didn't really answer my question, you know..." I prompted him, and giving him, I _know_, an anxious look.

But he still didn't have an answer for me. Just that stare.

"Umm...Zelgadiss? You're doing it again. You know, that mind-reader thing?" I pointed out. "Like I said, it kinda freaks me out when you do that, okay?"

He let out a big sigh. "Sorry. It's just that...sometimes...well, I just can't help it. I don't really know why, but I just can't. There's just something about your eyes...and the pain I see in there, inside your head," he said, giving me one of those intensely serious looks of his.

He stopped in a panic, as soon as he realized where his mouth was heading with this conversation. He was opening up and revealing his inner thoughts to me! I immediately gave him a worried glance, afraid that he may have somehow sensed what was going through my head...but all I could see was a growing look of concern in those hooded blue-green eyes. Then he put his head in his hands, and tried to fight off the wave of nausea that was wracking his stomach at that moment.

"You okay?" I asked. "I didn't mean to...well, you know...uh...I just couldn't understand why you were...I mean...um...I just appreciate you being my friend and all and talking to me like this, okay?"

I felt his hand gently touch my shoulder, and it shocked me right to the center of my heart. I couldn't help but flinch noticeably. That one small gesture was all it took to turn my entire life upside down.

I began to cry.

I didn't want to...hell, I tried desperately not to...I knew that he just hated that…weakness in a _guy_, but I just couldn't hold it back anymore. I could see my whole carefully planned cool existence slipping away from me. All of a sudden, I just couldn't seem to stop myself from falling apart. I was losing control...all my walls were crumbling around me, and I felt helpless to stop it. I was afraid. Okay, scared to death, really. What if he really could see me, and hated me once he did? I was making him sick, wasn't I?

Of course, speaking of walls, Zelgadiss' were still miles high like a fortress protecting his inner sanctum. I'd only made a tiny crack in one. Yeah, I didn't even seem to have the common sense to respect those walls he had so carefully built up around himself over the years. Everyone else did...but maybe I was just too damn desperate to let them get in the way of our friendship. Somehow, he had managed to hurdle over a few of mine like they weren't even there!

Well, I may have gotten the order of events and a few of the words mixed up, but that was the way I remember it. Lots of little vignettes played out over time. Just parts of the big life-play we're all in where some are so important that they can change a person forever. As Zelgadiss once put it to me when he was being in one of his rare effusive moments:"Life is not a rehearsal, there is always an audience in attendance somewhere."

Oh, and he told me later that it wasn't me, just the lack of food and stress of life that was getting to him. He was doing some journal writing of his own to work out his problems.

Ah, another Lina memory…ready? This one _just_ happened, so I know I have it right. Here goes…

I found myself standing at the front steps leading to Lina's domain and stared at that stupid door. For a long time. Suddenly, I felt like a contestant on some insipid game show, and it was my fate was hidden behind that stupid door...But what was my fate? Ridicule and hate? Pain and humiliation? Or?

No, I shouldn't even let myself pretend for a moment that we could actually become...um...well, you know...could I? I mean, that was just too stupid and far-fetched an idea to even...no. No way! I was just visiting to make sure she's okay, right? Just to let her know that I'm concerned about her...in a friendly sort of way, I told myself. After all, I knew all too well how easily I tended to confuse wishful thinking with reality. I had always had this ability to see the wonderful possibilities in things, only to end up disappointed with the final version of things reality had presented me. Seldom had the real world lived up to my fantasies. Well, okay...more like never, especially when it came to romance. Plus, as I has mentioned before, I had this overactive libido working against me. That just kept getting me into so much trouble. I mean, it was like I was abnormal or something. Zelgadiss and Gourry never seemed to be bothered much. They could admire women from afar and keep their hands to themselves and mouths shut. Val at least has talked to me about his…cravings…which are about on par with my own so I wouldn't feel quite so alone with that problem.

But, after a great effort (and a little more self-delusion), I summoned the courage to take another step forward. Now, I was beginning to feel a little bit ridiculous (well, it takes some people longer than others, okay?). My resolve strengthened again, and I went right up those steps, and pushed the doorbell.

Please gods, let nobody be home...please, please, please! Perhaps she'd gone out? Oh no... No. I heard footsteps coming down the hallway...approaching the door. Those were her less-than-dainty footfalls pounding to the door.

I really wanted to run at that point, but my feet just wouldn't let me. Stupid feet!

Oh shit! Now what was I to do? I almost passed out completely when she opened the door.

I told her I needed to get some things off my chest, and not my shirt, ha ha! I was just trying to break the ice but nearly got my nose broken instead.

She let me in and offered me milk and pie. That was nice.

Afterwards we went to her front room to listen to the latest CD I'd burned with new music. At that point we just sat, or she did while was lying down on the couch and chit-chatted about our musical, some ideas, stuff like that. The safe stuff.

"Good, you're smiling again," she smiled in return. "For a minute there you looked like something might be seriously wrong. Kinda pale, you know?"

"Nothing that a few minutes alone with you doesn't cure every time," I said smoothly. Mistake. This was Lina I was talking to, not some airhead.

"Listen," she started.

And I always did… to her. Everything she said, I heard, I remembered, so that I could replay it in my head when I was alone and sad or just needed to hear a friendly voice, well…hers anyway.

"I'm not ready for a boyfriend right now, ya know? Nothin' personal. You…you're as good as the next guy, no I didn't mean that. You're better than most guys. I got nothing against you, it's just...I hate being touched or fawned over and I'm not the romantic type AT ALL, got it?"

I turned on my side and gave her the sincerest look I could manage in return. "I ah, Lina...I swear, I um... I mean, I'm really flattered that you even spend time with me. "

"You should be!" she said. "Now tell me something I don't know."

Funny girl. "Uh, you know...um...uh, I go to counseling. I've been going off and on, mostly off, since I was like in second grade. It's not that I'm totally messed up or psycho or anything...it's just...well, I have ADD...Attention Deficit Disorder, actually...and it helps me to cope with it. So now ya know another of my dirty little secrets. You must think I'm even more messed up now," I said glumly.

"No, I think you're just real," she replied. "You're one of the few people I've ever met who doesn't try to be something he isn't...you aren't perfect, but you don't pretend to be. I'll admit you're pretty well hidden inside your goofball personality most of the time, but you are for real. See, most people think you're acting all the time, but that's not so, you just have a complex personality. What you see is what you get, at the moment. I totally respect that, " she said sincerely. "But, you don't strike me as the super hyperactive type."

Okay, so she's not a great psychologist, but it sounded so good coming from her I couldn't disagree, could I?

"No," I laughed. "ADD can be with hyperactivity, or not. I'm mostly not. I guess I'm more of the shy, daydreamer type of ADD, you could say. But, it's ok...sometimes I think it's as much of a blessing as it is a curse. I have some unique talents...ADD people are well known for their creativity, and their ability to see things in a different light. You know, people like Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison?" I asked. "Both ADD people."

"Wow, I guess that's cool enough," she agreed.

I was heartened a little bit by her apparent understanding. But, I knew I had one more question that I really wanted to ask her...well, _needed _to ask really. I wasn't sure how she would react, but I just had to know.

She gave me a strange look, but didn't say anything. Like Zelgadiss, as though she were trying to see something that wasn't quite in focus on my face. Only hers were like red-hot coals boring right through to my heart. Then I passed out.

The next time I opened my eyes I made the mistake of sitting up too fast and feeling dizzy. I laid my head back against the pillow again, and stared at her ceiling for a minute. I took a deep breath, and suddenly I noticed it...the scent...the smell...of her. Since I had awakened in the room, it had been scratching at the back door of my consciousness, but only when my mind relaxed enough to let it creep in. I could smell her cheap shampoo, which got me to thinking that I'd like to buy her something nice for her hair, a henna conditioner. Suddenly my head was spinning again with so many different emotions... I was lying on Lina's bed in Lina's room. And she was sitting in a chair looking anxiously at me.

"Xelloss? Are you awake? Are you okay? You really had me scared for a minute there, fainting away like that! You must have been digging you nails into your arm so hard you made it bleed. See? I put bandages over them to cover them up, obviously, but … Wow. You're damned lucky I'm strong and caught you before your head hit the floor! Not something that head of yours needs, right? Heh, heh…"

"Uh...Lina?" The world had regained its customary shape and outlines by the time she'd finished her monologue. "I, uh… I have to go...I'm really late, Zelgadiss'll probably kill me as it is... but, I really want to know something...and I don't wanna piss you off or anything...or make you feel threatened in any way...but, well...um...I hope it doesn't bother you that I'm, ah… attracted to you...uh...physically ...you know, sexually...I mean, I like you as a person too—a lot—but, I just can't help it...how I feel about you, ya know? It's like I don't really have a choice about it...I just do, okay? I just want you to see me. The _real _me and know…that how I feel is real and only for you. But, I don't want you to feel strange about it, and I don't want to let that stop us from being friends, okay?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed, figuring that it would be harder to cry that way. I tried my best to prepare my heart for the awful truth of the rejection that I was sure would follow. Hadn't she already told me a thousand times that she wasn't ready for a boyfriend relationship?

After I'd waited for what seemed like a _really long _time, I opened my eyes and turned my head in her direction. She was staring blankly out the window again, and I could see a little moisture in the corner of her eyes.

Tears, Lina's tears. Oh, Gods…I could have taken nearly any form of punishment but that! "Uh...you know, Lina...I mean, if it really bothers you, then I'll just do my best to put those feelings aside, okay? I just want us to be friends. That's more important than anything to me, really! Can we remain friends, please?" I begged.

She just turned and looked at me. Our gaze locked together again for a long while...and I was totally hypnotized by her fiery red eyes. I could literally feel her searching every nook and cranny inside my soul...looking desperately for the answer to a mysterious question. A very important question, it seemed, but one I didn't know the meaning of.

She remained totally silent, still searching my eyes desperately as I sat there. I could sense a battle raging inside her again, and it began to scare me a little. I noticed one small tear run down her face, and I decided maybe it was time for me to go before I fell apart.

"Uh...well, ok then...don't worry, it's no big deal, really. Um...I'll see you tomorrow, Lina. You...uh...take care of yourself, okay?" I said hesitantly.

All I got in return was that same desperately, intently searching gaze. And another small tear. And then as I was about to walk out the door, she whispered. "Give me ten years. _Where_ ever, _what_ ever…come back and ask me again, then. Now, get the hell outta here."

Then she slammed the door on me.

I was so…shocked, thrilled, confused? What had she just said? Ask her again in ten years…what? To be friends. Oh, surely not just _friends_. She must have meant…that I could tell her I loved her and ask her how she felt then. In ten years. TEN YEARS!

T E N Y E A R S !

I _only_ have to wait ten years for Lina to decide that she loves me too! Only ten! Why, that's nothing! I've waited nearly twenty just to find my heart's desire. Ten more, that's sooooo easy. That's half that time! I can wait knowing…hoping. Hoping… what?

Well now…that's a secret! Mine!

_

* * *

Zelgadiss__ closed the journal, his hands shaking. He had gripped the book so hard. Lina. Oh my. Had she any idea what she had done to Xelloss? Ten years, dammit. She probably thinks it will put him off for good! She has no idea that she's sealed his devotion to her. Oh…joy… On the other hand, maybe she means it. They were on pretty good terms on that hayride. Has she told Gourry the same thing? Not that he knew. Gourry was still plugging along, waiting for her to grow up and notice him. Well, Xelloss had something to look forward to for awhile, then. And, hopefully, Zel thought, he would not be around to deal with the outcome of all this. _

"Come in," Xelloss called from inside his room. He knew it was Zelgadiss by the way he rapped lightly.

Zelgadiss stepped in and looked around for a place to sit. Xelloss dove for his bed, leaving the computer chair available. The room was lit with candles, unscented. The flickering gave Zel a jumpy feeling at first, but as soon as he'd stopped moving around, the air stilled and the candles glowed quiescently, as they are meant to.

Xelloss watched his friend set his journal on the table.

"I read it all."

Xelloss nodded. "You're still talking to me, so I guess we are still friends, right?"

Zel nodded. Then he noticed that the table was littered with brochures and Internet printouts on skin treatments. "What's this all about?"

"Just what it looks like."

"You are considering having your back and chest treated." There. Zel said it first. "Why now?"

Xelloss shrugged.

"What's going on in there?" Zel pointed to Xelloss' head.

It was Xelloss' turn to sigh, deeply and long. "I just want someone who…well so that when I kiss them, they kiss me back and when I tell them that I love them…that they say they love me too…and when I…"

Zelgadiss cut him off, "I get it. I think you're expecting too much, too soon. You're a high school kid one year out of a mental hospital, Xelloss. You have some…many problems to deal with—serious ones. Do that now, and you'll probably have your dream in ten years or so. So, what's with that look?"

Xelloss answered, "You _do_ expect me to wait ten years to have sex with a girl."

Zel raised an eyebrow, "I didn't say that, but I thought you might. I know you're morally attuned to the marriage first scenario, which always amazed me considering your parental guidance, but I don't think that's…well necessarily practical. I imagine that you'll experiment…some…first. That's what dating's all about. Learning about feelings and getting along and all. I think you'll have some…close encounters before the real thing. I don't think that you'll not 'be in love' with whomever you…choose along the way either. But…"

Xelloss smiled. This was a real conversation he was having about important things with Zelgadiss. Wow… "What about you?"

"Me?" Zel looked up and met Xelloss' gaze, unprepared with a ready answer. "Uh…"

"The skin treatments…" Xelloss prompted him.

Zel may have looked relieved to know that was all. He stood and walked over to the mirror, pulling off his t-shirt as he went. His disgust with his appearance was reflected back upon him. "I'll never get over what happened that day. What it did to my body…my face. Too much of my feelings of self-worth were tied to my looks."

"I never expected you to admit to narcissism."

"I've come to that conclusion about myself. I'm not particularly proud of it either."

"You could try a few of these skin therapies."

Zel turned to Xelloss, "So could you."

Xelloss nodded, "That's what I've been thinking about."

"Even if it means hospital rooms again?"

"I'm thinking differently. After Eris. After she… She was repulsed, actually, by the scars. I had to convince her that they didn't go down, you know… that he hadn't cut _off _anything important!"

Zelgadiss chuckled, "That…must have been uncomfortable!"

Xelloss sniffed, "Certainly _not_ very romantic! So…it re-stirred my interest in researching the current possibilities out there. There are quite a few, though fewer for my deep, carved marks than for your more flush, chemical burns. The course of action for the discoloration is very mild and quick. You'd see some results in a few weeks. I have more of the uneven scar tissue built up."

Zel nodded. "I have that too, though, not so much, as you said."

"And the sun tan fades it out a lot. That's why I believe those treatments might really work for you! Peels, laser…"

"Adams wants to do skin graphs also, he told me. You too?"

Xelloss nodded, "Too many places, and I can't imagine going through recovery from that. I don't know if my psyche could handle it. The 'sanding' stuff, maybe. Does that make sense?"

Wincing at the thought of skin graphs, Zel simply agreed, "Yeah…"

"You still haven't answered my question," Xelloss said with a twinkle in his eye.

Oh _that…sex_. Zel stared at his reflection a moment longer, then pulled his shirt back on. "If the opportunity ever arises, I'll deal with it then, but since it's highly unlikely in the near future it's…not on my mind."

Xelloss laughed aloud, "Like I'm gonna believe _that_ shit! You are not im-muune!" --said in an imitation of Val's voice.

Zel blushed. "I wish I was."

"And _that_…concludes the entertainment portion of our evening!" Xelloss giggled.

Zelgadiss returned to the brochures, uncovering a stack of photographs. "Xelloss? What are these?"

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Eight.


	9. Pumpkins Wear Many Faces

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! **

**Chapter Nine**

**Pumpkins wear many faces**

"We are also creating this musical together. That is where the partnership stops. Clear enough?" _-- _Lina

* * *

"Those?" Xelloss craned his neck to see what Zelgadiss was looking at.

"Oh. That's…"

"That singer guy the old lady was talking about on the hayride…David something," Zel smiled.

"Cassidy. Yes. I looked him up. What do you think? Do we look alike?"

Zel examined the picture carefully, looking up now and then to scrutinize Xelloss. "Well, besides the obvious difference in the shape and color of your hair and eyes… You appear…similar in these shots, which I assume, are his later pictures? Your face is longer, thinner cheeks, and you definitely have twenty more pounds of muscle. Evidently, he wasn't as fit as you. You have…you have… you're getting a moustache!"

Xelloss shrugged, "Oh, not much. I may even have to shave about once every six months!" He knew it meant more to Zelgadiss than to him—he actually hated the nasty stuff-- but Zel's hair follicles had been severely damaged and so were still unable to grow facial hair. He chuckled. "You…are a very exacting observer, Zelgadiss."

"Of course. I'm an analytic."

"You are also an artist. I still have the picture you did of me, the valentine—it wasn't burned up. In fact…" Xelloss' face lit up. "Would you consider doing the character designs for our musical?"

"The what?"

"Draw the characters at a couple of different angles and costume them. Us, the Slayers, but…magical. Let me tell you all about them…"

Zelgadiss listened intently, nodding at times. "All right. I'll give it a try."

"If you need ideas, Filia has good fashion-sense, when she gets her head out of the what's-hot trash. You can consult with Sylphiel when it comes to cloth. She knows a lot about fabrics. In fact… we can go see her together and visit Subaru too. I have something I need her to sew for me."

"Do I want to know?"

Xelloss smiled benignly and answered, "Let's just say…that's a secret…for now. If the she agrees to the sewing project then, you'll be the first to know. It's a good kinda thing, so don't worry."

"All right, I won't. Busy now?"

"Noooo…"

"Good. I'll get my sketch pad and start with you," Zel smiled and hurried out. He hadn't done much drawing lately, the one at the apple orchard being his first in weeks. Character designs…might be fun… Hell, it _would_ be fun!

* * *

The following week proved uninteresting until it reached its end.

"Hello, you must be Xelloss and Lina here for your appointment with Mr. Grauscherra," the attractive young woman greeted the two kids. "I'm his assistant, Miss Sherra."

Lina looked over the new assistant principal. Young and pretty. Great, just like the man. She was dressed in a blue, military-type suit, which would have given her a severe look had her long black hair not been worn in a girlish braid. As they were ushered into the inner sanctum, Lina muttered to Zel, "How creative, Sherra and Grauscherra. Do ya think he named her or someone just paired them up like that?"

Xelloss looked sideways at Lina and smiled weakly, "Must be fate."

"Good afternoon, kids. Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink? A pop perhaps?" the principal asked.

"Drink? Yeah, sure…ah, thanks!" Lina replied. "Got lemon flavored? We'll take two." Earlier she had thought his hair was blue, but it must have been the bright lights. Now his hair appeared to be jet black, but his eyes were piercing blue and oddly familiar.

Xelloss nodded his agreement with Lina's choice.

Mr. Grauscherra returned with the two pop cans, handed them over, then sat on the edge of his desk. He was slim and trim in his pale blue shirt and dark slacks. The jacket draped across the back of his desk chair, Lina noted, was expensive looking. "Actually, I have been trying to meet with all the seniors first, but when you called for this appointment, I checked your records and noticed that you both are…special cases. And you are asking for a very special working arrangement today."

Lina started to say something, but stopped when he raised a hand.

"I have read your proposal. It sounds extremely challenging. You are aware that professional theaters may take years to put together a new musical. The production detail and costs can be astronomical." He paused to take a breath then continued. "Yes, go ahead. I can see you are dying to speak for yourself."

Lina did. She explained their approach to information gathering from the community, fundraising, and time scheduling. "We already have most of the music we need and the story…writes itself, let's say. We are not afraid of hard work."

"Indeed not!" The principal turned towards Xelloss. "Your record is an interesting one. You appear to have spent a good deal of time being home-schooled, I take it? You certainly couldn't have completed all of these credits in the short space of time you have actually attended classes. Your grades aren't that impressive, although you are in honors-level classes and also at the university for two classes."

Xelloss simple nodded, "All true, Sir. I am only asking that this replace my literature class, but if I need them to graduate, I'd take the drama and dance credits as well." He was happy to gloss over the details of his school career. If Zelas hadn't thought to fill them in on his records, he was not about to do it for them.

"You are doing the choreography? Not Miss Inverse?"

"He's the dancer plus he's got a contact…that guy that did the Nutcracker here last December," Lina piped up.

"Oh. I see. I believe you can get computer lab credit as well if you do manage to use them to control the lights and sound…" Grauscherra muttered.

"Does that mean we get your approval?" Xelloss pushed.

"My concern is who will be tracking your progress? What if you don't succeed, how do you get partial credit? Those kinds of questions."

"Mr. Grauscherra," Lina interrupted. "The drama teacher will keep you posted. We're working out a checklist with him so everyone can know what's up at any time. And…" she stood up fingering her empty pop-top, "We never fail. We make a good team."

The man smiled slyly at Xelloss, "Is she your girlfriend too?"

Lina's face darkened, "With all due respect...(which ain't much) I'm doin' the talkin' here and can speak for myself, and to be perfectly clear about this…_we_ are friends. I'm the leader of our band called the Slayers and he's the drummer. We are also creating this musical together. That is where the partnership stops. Clear enough?"

Xelloss was shaking his head back and forth trying to stop Lina from being disrespectful, insulting the man and ruining their chances to get his signature on the dotted line.

It must have looked funny, because the principal chuckled and surrendered to Lina. "Quite clear. Just working partners. I won't make that mistake again. Well, I will _okay_ this. It sounds like a terrific project and much more work than most of our students complete in two years."

"Thank you..." Xelloss said in a low-toned voice. He meant it.

He signed the form permitting the two students to participate off-campus on a project of their own. "I will see if both music and computer credits can be added for you both and…possibly more as you delve into the financial parts. Getting backers, advertising, set building…many hats to wear, kids. Oh, and Xelloss… it _was_ your mother who was the previous principal at this school. Am I correct?"

Xelloss was unprepared for that remark. Lina stepped up to bat for him, "Yeah, and she's dead. Don't make a big deal of it, 'kay?"

The man looked at Xelloss. An odd survey, taking in the boy's entire aspect and demeanor as if he was only seeing him for the first time. Xelloss found it terribly disconcerting, and went into protective mode without thinking. He smiled. "I'm sure you'll fill her shoes here just fine."

"That's just…" Grauscherra grew serious a moment, then flashed a politician's grin before finishing, "…what I intend to do."

The two held their postures of composure and tranquility, while the tension was so thick, Lina thought she would suffocate any minute if she didn't blow it apart. "Say! So can we go now? I don't wanna miss any of Japanese if I can help it!" she said in a loud voice.

"Why yes, the bell is about to ring. I won't keep you any longer now, but stop by next week and we'll talk some more. I'd like to get to know the both of you better," the man smiled and held open the door to his office.

"Whew!" Lina gasped when they had swiftly flown down two hallways towards their next class. "At least we got what we went in there for. What is it about principals anyway, huh! Do you think they go to some kind of class on being creepy or just get that from on-the-job training? I can just see the course offerings…'How to Make'em Squirm 101'."

"I'm certain it's in the training, that and the job just attracts warped individuals," Xelloss smiled. On the inside, he was churning. There had been a Grauscherra dynasty in the northern syndicate. Could this man be a part of it? He had to find out, but at the same time was reluctant to draw on his dubious syndicate connections. That was all in his past. A past he had buried with his parents, and he didn't want to start exhuming corpses. He was afraid of what he might uncover…

Lina noticed him looking serious for a change. He had been busily scribbling on a notepad during the interview with the new principal and her growing curiosity got the better of her. "So, what kinda notes did you take in there?" she asked, snatching at the papers.

Xelloss was lost in thought, but relying on his instincts alone, he was able to keep the notebook out of her reach. "You know, if my name were '_Yellow_', then the initials of our first names would spell _'LAZY_'." Xelloss handed his doodle over to Lina to see.

**L A Z Y**

i -m -e e

n -e -l -l

a -l- g -l

i -a ----o

a -d ---w

i

s

s

Lina, irked that it held no pearls of wisdom or deep insights, shot back, "You have too much time on your hands."

She did, however, manage to shove it under Zel's nose as they found their seats.

Shortly thereafter, a stack of tiny orange notes like butterflies appeared fluttering onto Lina's desk. Lina looked over at Filia seated to her right, eyes slitted suspiciously. Filia pointed back at Amelia who was grinning. Fine. Lina opened the note on top bearing the name 'Lina' and read it. It was an invitation to a pumpkin carving party at Amelia's house Saturday after practice. Lina nodded back at Amelia and passed the remaining few on to Zel, to her left. Let him sort out who gets what. Lina consumed the remaining time in Japanese drawing little faces, the next more evil looking than the previous. She was practicing to get just the right leers for her jack-o-lanterns. Besides, she already could count and write all the numbers in Japanese…

After class, Sylphiel put a hand on Xelloss' arm to get his attention. "Oh, Xelly?" Sylphiel asked him with girlish lilt to her voice that some boys really liked, but not him particularly.

"Yes?" He studied the pumpkin note in his hand, then stuffed it into his pants pocket.

"I have that shirt ready. You can, like, pick it up anytime."

He smiled, "Thanks, Sylphiel. How expeditious of you! Wonderful. I'll be stopping by the shrine to see Subaru later. Will you be in?"

"Uh huh. Oh, I mean, after cheerleading practice and dinner. We can practice our Japanese together, or something," she suggested.

"Oh?" he held the smile, but his voice faltered slightly.

"Maybe ice cream too. We haven't done that in a long time." She looked at him from under a fringe of mascara-covered eyelashes.

"Ah…" He was at a loss for words.

"Xelloss, we have to go now if we're going to get everything done including that short chem lab tonight," Zel interrupted.

Xelloss happily turned toward his best friend, "Everything?"

Val had asked Zel to drop him off at a dealership after school. There was a 'hog' with his name on it and he had wanted it bad. He was already out the door.

"A what?" Xelloss queried Zel on their way out to the car.

"Val is buying a motorcycle. Actually, it is more practical than that gas guzzler he has to get to school," Zel explained. "So, we do that first, then eat, then lab. Remember we just have to set it up, about fifteen minutes work and check it tomorrow morning. Ah… then go see Subaru…"

"And Sylphiel ought to be home by then…" Xelloss supplied. "From cheerleading practice. Aside from picking up guys, I can't imagine the attraction of the sport."

Zelgadiss simply shook his head in agreement.

"Well, that and the short skirts!" Xelloss giggled as Zel blushed predictably.

* * *

Lina opened the door to her house upon hearing an unfamiliar engine roaring in the driveway.

"Yo!"

"Val?" Lina stared at him on his new bike. It was shiny and silvery blue. Her eyes shone with delight and anticipation.

"Wanna ride?" he grinned, tossing her a helmet. "I need a hot-lookin' pillion in back ta go with the look."

She didn't know the term, but guessed it was somewhat derogatory toward women. Her eyes narrowed.

"Ah, c'mon…just kiddin', ya know."

"Not about the _hot _part," she grilled him with a scorching glare, then grinned. "You bet I wanna ride! New? Ya just get it?"

"Yeah. It's an ole beater."

"Tell me all about it." Lina knew he was dying to tell someone and she was in a generous mood.

"Custom Ironhorse Outlaw perf cruiser, 107 cu-inch single-stroke engine with a six-speed transmission and…"

"That's more than enough for now," Lina brushed off his further babbling with a flick of her wrist. "Is it fast?"

He grinned like mad, "Uh, yeah. New it costs over $30 gees, but like I said, this one's used."

"So before I get on…do something. Ya know some showoff thing," Lina wanted him to get that out of his system before risking her life at his hands. "Like…a burnout!"

"Yeah," he said. He held the front brake while racing the throttle, causing the back wheel to spin and billow smoke.

"Good enough!" she announced, strapping on the helmet. She hopped behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Ready?" he asked. For an answer, she tightened her grip. "Sure thing, then…"

Val roared the motor and pushed with his foot, backing out of the driveway. He rolled a ways down the block, then let loose ripping past the front of her house. The warm fall air blew past her face. It was like flying. She laughed aloud and he took her for a ride up into the hills.

"Yahooooooo!" she screamed. What a ride! Oh yeah!

To Val's credit, he didn't speed. Too much. He was careful almost to a fault, and returned Lina, breathless but otherwise unharmed to her house just as her sister was returning from work. Time to go.

"Yo, ah…Ma'am," Val smiled nervously at Luna and back to Lina. Luna, he had come to understand while living with the Cephied believers, was a very important person. Their knight. Moreover, she did it the hard away, giving up her freedom to devote her life to their causes. Someone he could respect.

Luna shook her head, "Don't worry, I won't bite. Nice bike, Val."

"Um, yeah thanks. Well, ah, I'll see ya later, Lina."

"Right!" Lina shouted then strode to her front door.

Luna broke out in a grin, "You sure that one's not hoping for a bit of the Lina action too?"

Lina glared back, "Cut it out, 'kay? Val and I go back a few years and we've never been more than friends, never will be."

Luna chuckled, "Just hassling you, little sis. Hey, carry some of this stuff. It's got your dinner in it!" Luna jammed a bag into Lina's arms then unlocked the door.

* * *

"Hello Subaru," Xelloss greeted his friend with a cheery smile.

Zelgadiss muttered his own 'hello' but stood apart. This was Xelloss' atonement for his perceived mistakes.

The small sorrowful boy nodded by way of his greeting. He motioned to Xelloss to join him in his tiny room. Xelloss had stayed in this very room himself not long after his house was destroyed. They sat side by side on the bed.

"Would you like to take a walk?" Xelloss asked. He never sat still for long.

"I would like to cut my hair," Subaru answered.

"Oh, really? Well, I know someone who does a very good job. She does mine, and I am very particular. Would you like me to arrange that?"

"If…its not too much trouble." Subaru stared down at his hands.

"Not for Filia! She loves getting her hands into guys hair!" Xelloss laughed.

They spoke together about the upcoming shrine functions. As he listened to Subaru's careless, terse speech, Zelgadiss began to dwell darkly on what was really on Subaru's mind, how he was really doing.

It was strange. Subaru did not behave the way they had expected, if anyone could assume to expect any one kind of behavior from one who had lost so much. But he was particularly weird. He was almost catatonic in his daily life, his grandmother had told them before. He was completely shut off. And yet, then again he wasn't. He still worked, doing whatever nebulous 'spiritual' thing he had done before. He talked and ate and took care of himself at least as well as he always had, though that wasn't saying much. He always was too thin and too pale, and still retained such a look of androgyny, even now! Of course he'd want to cut his hair. They'd had the same haircut, Subaru and Hokuto, and looking in the mirror must have been like having her ghost constantly haunting him there. But gone were the gaudy, unique outfits he used to wear, just as the sparkle was gone from his evergreen eyes. That had been the influence of his sister, and Hokuto, the bright, glowing, perpetually happy sprite, was gone. Subaru was only half of a whole, missing his sister. But there was something else, too, wasn't there?

Zelgadiss was not in his comfort zone thinking about this, but it occurred to him…Seishirou. The gentle, smiling veterinarian. The twenty-five-year-old man who hung out with a pair of sixteen-year-olds. The Sakurazukamori assassin, as Xelloss had identified him. They did not dare mention him, nor anything about him. Of course, what could they say? 'Gosh-darn that scoundrel what killed your sister all to heck, that bad, bad man!'? No, that wouldn't do. But there were other reasons why they dared not say his name. The very thought of the man, his disarming façade, the evil thoughts that must have always dwelt behind that care-free smile, the dire duplicity—it made Zel feel physically ill. Thinking of him, how he had trusted him, made him sick.

So what would it do to someone who was in love with him?

Zelgadiss looked at Subaru sitting listlessly on the bed, not looking at Xelloss at all as he answered questions in single words and short sentences. He hadn't just lost his beloved sister, had he? He had lost two people he cared about. Even worse, he had been betrayed by one that he trusted. And he was such a shy, retiring, ingenuous boy! Had 'Sei-chan' been the only one that he'd ever ventured to have a crush on? Somehow, it struck Zel as the case. And though he usually couldn't say much about people's love-lives, he felt pretty confident predicting that Subaru was one boy who would never have one. The only one he'd ever loved betrayed him in the most cruel and final way possible.

Zel shook it off. He was thinking too darkly. Maybe Subaru would be okay. He was only sixteen, right? He could have another sixty or seventy years ahead of him! That was too much time to spend mourning. He could recover, right?

He looked at the purple-haired boy beside him, appearing cheerful but truly desperate. The martyr. Had Xelloss ever recovered?

But Subaru wasn't Xelloss. Subaru was very lonely, and very isolated, but he was at least safe with his own mind. What held Xelloss back was that he wasn't safe alone. Maybe…

Maybe they'd both be okay?

And maybe they'd receive a miracle to accomplish that.

They set a date with Subaru to have Filia cut his hair, and Xelloss left him with some books to read. Zelgadiss waited until Xelloss had started for the car, and he had a second alone with Subaru.

"I know that you're very alone right now," he said, hoping that it would all come out right. "But it doesn't have to be like this. We're all ready to listen to you, to do anything we can. Xelloss is trying to help because he feels guilty, and because you remind him of himself in a certain period of his life. I shouldn't be telling you this, but you had no choice in our knowing about you, so…"

"He does not have to feel guilty. He had nothing to do with it," Subaru said, quietly.

Zel smiled. "I know. You know. We all know, except for him. But he's also doing this because he cares about you. We all do. So…don't give up, okay?"

Subaru looked at his feet. "I won't. I can't. Or else she would have died for nothing. Good-bye, Zelgadiss. Thank you."

Zel nodded and left. Chills still ran down his spine. His voice had been so dead and lifeless! And what he had said!

He decided not to tell Xelloss, not just yet. Not until he had thought about what he could have meant by that. 'She would have died for nothing,'…

Xelloss found Sylphiel chatting on the phone in her kitchen. Her mother looked both Zelgadiss and him over, then left them to conduct their business in private.

"Hey, I gotta go. Xelly and Zel are both here…yeah…I KNOW! They're both so cuuute! Yeah…so…bye, now!" Sylphiel hung up then turned her full attention on her two visitors. "Hi! Can we go out for ice cream again? Its so boring around here."

Wincing at the shrill 'cute' reference both boys locked eyes a moment. "Zelgadiss?" Xelloss did his best to relay a silent plea along with his cold stare that begged, 'say no for us.'

Zel smirked and nodded his acceptance.

Xelloss' eyes narrowed. Zel was supposed to indicate that they would be just too busy, _shucks_. But he didn't. Time to torture Xelloss, he guessed. "May I see the shirt first, please? I have the cash right here as well."

"Shirt? Oh…yeah, that. Just a sec and I'll go get it. Don't run off now!" she giggled.

"Now _that's_ an idea…" Xelloss frowned slightly.

"What's the matter…Xelly?" Zelgadiss chuckled. "I thought you liked the attention."

"I do," Xelloss said. "Zelly, for the most part… Okay, I'm getting pickier with age,"

"More discerning. That's refreshing."

"Are we talking about wine or girls now? I'm lost," Xelloss smiled.

"We could be talking about either one. I'm equally qualified to converse on either topic," Zelgadiss said expansively.

"You don't drink wine," Xelloss pointed out.

"I do not, that is true. I also do not understand the workings of the female mind, so—you see—I can talk at great lengths about both with equal stupidity."

Xelloss laughed at Zel's act. Usually so serious, Zel rarely joked about himself.

"What's so funny? Did I miss a joke?" Sylphiel asked.

"N-No…" Xelloss giggled. "We were testing the limits of our understanding."

Sylphiel looked at the two grinning friends and shook her head, "You guys are so weird… Anyway," holding up the shirt as she spoke, "how do you like it? Is it okay? Wanna try it on?"

"Go ahead," Zel urged his reticent friend. "It will save a trip back if it doesn't suit you."

Xelloss agreed. Avoid unnecessary return visits at all costs…

He waited shortly for her to leave the room or turn away, but she didn't. "So," he mused to himself, "she's as interested in looking at guys as I am girls… or at least as curious. Hmm, I wonder if…"

"Xelloss." It wasn't a question, it was a prompt from Zel which meant 'stop spacing.'

Xelloss shrugged 'sorry', and proceeded to tear off his t-shirt and then quickly pull on the new long-sleeved knit top. It was form fitting. "Okay?" he asked both friends for an assessment.

"I bit garish for my tastes, but I guess retro suits you," Zel offered.

Sylphiel sighed, "I copied it from the photo and I couldn't tell what it would look like on you, but it really looks…good on you, ya know?"

"Thanks!" Xelloss smiled and stripped it off. "It's worth every penny. Ready to go?"

The ice cream was like a balm on his soul. He hated to admit it, even to Zelgadiss, but Sylphiel had hurt his pride more than his feelings when she had gone and acquired a (admittedly short-lived) fiancée while on vacation. And just when he thought he'd start dating her! Ah, well…It was nice to know that she was somewhat interested in him still. His interests, however, had moved on. Onward and upward.

* * *

"Yeah?" Luna opened the front door and peered out at the young man standing tall and solid on the stoop. "Oh, you. I figured it was about time for you to put in an appearance. All the others have this week."

"The others?" Gourry asked.

"Yes 'the others'…you know…Zelgadiss, Val and Xelloss…those others. Lina's male compatriots."

"Oh, them. Well, I don't know…" He searched for what to add to that, then remembered what was important. "Is she ready ta go?"

"Come in, come on…" Luna flung open the door. "Hey Lina! I'm headin' out and the blonde one is here to take ya someplace so get a move on!" Then to Gourry she said as she left, "She's awake. Just stay where you are. She'll be out in a minute." She caught his eyes with her own and added with a significant glare, "Don't even dream of going to her room, got that?"

Gourry nodded and remained fixed in place by the door, at least until he could see Luna's car drive off. "Ah…Lina? Mom said you could have breakfast at the house if you want…then we can go to Amelia's."

He knocked on her bedroom door, "Lina?"

She reassured him she was agreeable with a grunt, then flung open her door. "Ready! Breakfast you say? I can't believe that I'm up at nine o'clock AGAIN on a weekend!"

"Again?" he asked.

"Pumpkin picking last Saturday then the art museum on Sunday…" she began.

"Museum?"

"Yeah. Me an' Zel…and he drug along Xelloss too. It was for a school project," she added as she pulled on her shoes at the front door.

"Oh…" he smiled. "For school. Yeah, that's okay then…"

"What?" she wasn't certain that she'd caught his meaning.

"Don't want ta get behind, huh?" he added.

"That's right. It's going to be a busy year, but a fun one. Did I tell ya we got the okay on the musical thing?"

"Ah…no…I don't think so…" he answered.

"Yeah, we had our interview thingy with the principal and he gave us the go ahead. Have you met the guy yet?"

"Who, Xelloss? Lina, you know I know him…"

"NO! The new principal, Gourry for gods'sakes! He's calling in everyone to talk, starting with the seniors." Lina was a bit exasperated with his obtuseness at times.

"Oh yeah? But you're not a senior, are ya?"

"Well…yes and no. Xelloss and Zel have enough credits to graduate mid year, if Xelloss does his job on this musical. As it turns out, I've been taking extra classes each year, and with the extra stuff I do on the musical, I can graduate this year."

"With me?" Gourry grinned.

"Yeah, you and me…and Val too. Funny huh?" she slapped him good-naturedly on the back.

"That's great, Lina." Gourry meant that. They would be done with school together.

Then what?

**

* * *

Pumpkin carving party.**

He stared at the orange-yellow vegetable resting at his feet, resisting the urge to give it a sharp kick and be done with it. "So, Miss Amelia," Xelloss began politely. "You've done this before, I take it? Where do we begin?"

"I already washed them all… so now you have to cut it open and take out the seeds!" Amelia laughed. "This part is really messy, that's why we're on the porch. Oh, don't cut the top of like that, Mr. Xelloss! Here, let someone else… Mr. Gourry That's a beautiful job. See, Mr. Xelloss? Look at how Mr. Gourry cut at an angle so the top is like a lid and won't fall in?"

Xelloss looked askance at Amelia, then weighed whether or not it would be worth the effort.

"Want me ta cut this one for ya?" Gourry asked him in a friendly way.

"Huh? Oh, yes, thank you. I'll just watch…" Xelloss smiled and sat back on his heels and watched disinterestedly.

Gourry hacked and carved with expert ease. "I get ta do this fer all my kid sisters and bros so I get pretty fast."

"Ah…" Xelloss answered, hiding a yawn with his hand. "Oh, my…what is all that, the seeds?"

"Yeah, gotta scoop it all out…Amelia! We need some bowls!" Gourry shouted.

"Bowls for the bowels!" Lina barked. "Heh, heh…"

Xelloss made a face then looked at the pumpkin mess in front of him awaiting his attention. His stomach turned. Bowels indeed… He simply could not compel his hands to touch the slimy, slippery seed and pulp mass.

"We outta save all these and toast 'em," Lina suggested.

"Oh, yes, roasted and salted, the seeds make the best treat!" Amelia agreed.

"Ah…so…why not let me take care of all that?" Pleased that he had found a task suited to his taste, Xelloss rapidly carried off the close-to-overflowing bowls of pulp and seeds. The kitchen opened onto this part of the patio, so he hadn't far to go. He found the cook and together, they conspired…

"Hey, you are good at that prep work," Lina smiled fetchingly up at Gourry.

"Want me ta do one for you?" he inquired. He wasn't fooled by her flirty look. He knew Lina. When there was something she wanted, she had her many ways, and this was one of them. It didn't make him mad either. He accepted Lina in all her guises and with all her faults. Perhaps, had he thought about it—which did didn't, not being one for deep introspection—those were the very qualities that drew him to her. Predictably unpredictable, cute, and convenient—she lived right down the street!

"Oh, me, too! I can't even get started!" Sylphiel cried out. "Oooh you're hands are so strong," she sighed at Gourry's elbow. "You make it look so easy. How do you get the edges so smooth?"

"Just takin' my time. Rush it and you'll over shoot and slice too deep or too far. Some sawing action here ta do the curves." Gourry explained his methodology to anyone who was listening. Then he made quick work of Lina's pumpkin. "There…ah…don't ya wanna get a better lookin' one? This one's been pretty banged up."

"What? No way! This is one'll make a great gruesome ghoul," Lina said.

"Okay…" he smiled. "Whatever you like." He settled into a rhythm, constructing plain hollowed out shells ready for the others to decorate. It was what he was good at, and so, it made him feel good.

Val looked over his shoulder at Lina's sketches, "Hey those look pretty cool. I'm gonna borrow those eyes fer this one of mine."

"Borrow all ya want. The great and terrible Lina Inverse has more sensational design ideas where that one came from!" she laughed a bit at her own arrogance.

Val drove a knife blade through the thick shell and twisted. "This is harder than it looks, huh?"

"Haven't you carved Halloween pumpkins before, Mr. Val?" Amelia asked.

"No…but I've done a lotta carvin'," he smirked.

"Hit him for me, Amelia," Lina muttered.

"Me? Oh, Mr. Val wouldn't even feel one of my attacks."

"Then just sit there and give him lots of that 'go-gettum' encouragement of yours." Lina smiled to herself and focused on digging out an eye-hole.

"I can show you how to get started, Mr. Val. And then…you can learn right along with Mr. Xelloss. I'm sure you'll do a great job!" Amelia said with unbounded enthusiasm. "Now where did _he_ go to?"

"He's in the kitchen," Zel supplied. "I can hear his incessant chatter. Better go see who he's talking to."

"Okay!" Amelia shouted and left dutifully on a quest.

Val shook his head and shot a 'thanks' to Zel and caught Lina's eye a moment, just long enough to give her a quick twisted smile.

"Oh, he's going to miss all the fun out here. And it's his first pumpkin carving party, poor _baby_." Filia's remark held little sympathy, however.

Filia and Zelgadiss worked side-by-side. They were serious and absorbed. Filia was carving picture-book perfect, jack-o-lantern faces in each of the two hollowed out gourds she had prepared. She had production down to a science and might possibly complete more than ten on her own.

Zelgadiss took another tact entirely. His were fewer in number, maybe only two or three total for the day, but each was a masterpiece. He had drawn out an elaborate spider web motif onto the outer surface of one large, twisted pumpkin and now he was studiously scraping away the lines in thin strips. He had it down to a fine art. The other one was going to be a haunted house, with cracked windows and broken shingles, and a twisted tree in the yard. He also had plans for a were-wolf head with long hairs like trails of blood, and maybe a mummy with unraveling bandages if he had time.

Lina, however, was spending less time planning and more time doing. She figured that spontaneity would help create some of the most terrifying visages, and so far, she was right. She had one with six melting, tortured eyes complete with pupils, each looking in a different direction, in a sea of bumpy, oozing skin, with three moaning mouths full of jagged teeth in random places. There was another that was all sharp, triangular fang-like cuts, with evil-looking eyes and a mouthful of fangs that took up nearly the entire thing. Then there was the one with stitch-marks over a hideously disproportionate face, as if several heads had been sown together into one, the one with mouths for eyes (an homage to a comic book she read, she claimed), one with several long, snake-tongues protruding from a wide, wide grin full of tiny little razor-teeth and small, perfectly round eyes she'd made by punching a thin knife through the pumpkin flesh and turning it 360 degrees. In her wild fervor, Lina was covered in little flecks of orange pumpkin, like a slasher-film villain splashed with her victim's blood. Yes, Lina was into phantasma_gori_cal, emphasis on the 'gore.'

But not everyone was as ghoulish as Lina. "I just can't think of anything to make," Sylphiel sighed. "You guys all seem to have such great ideas…I'm, like…you know…a blank right now."

"Do something traditional then." That was Filia's solution.

"I'm making cat faces!" Amelia said. She had just returned from the kitchen where Xelloss and the cook were busy.

"Oh, let me see," Sylphiel squealed as she scrambled over to Amelia's work area.

"Watch out," Gourry said to Zelgadiss who had been too intent on his own task to be paying attention to the others. "Cover yer ears quick!"

Zel did automatically. He trusted Gourry's judgement in certain matters that much. He reached into his pocket, withdrew his earplugs, and stuffed them in place. It wasn't a moment too soon.

"Oooooooooh! A-meeeee-lia! That is just sooo cuuuuute!" Sylphiel shrieked in a high-pitched voice. "Filia, come look at this! It the cutest kitten face ever!"

"See? You use the triangles cut out for eyes, and stick them in the top with toothpicks for ears! Then the part you cut away for the slits in the eyes becomes the inside of the ears!" Amelia showed off her ingenuity.

"Hey, that _is_ cute. Why don't you do one like that?" Filia asked Sylphiel.

"Yeah! Would you mind if I stole your idea, Amelia?"

"Oh no, Miss Sylphiel. The more cats the better! Besides, we have dozens of these to carve so it wouldn't be right for me to keep just the one cat to myself, would it?" she smiled cheerily and added, "I've got some pipe cleaners and glitter glue and ribbons too. We could dress them up!"

That got them working with renewed enthusiasm. Filia outlined a couple of her jack-o-lantern eyes with gold glitter, but stopped at the ribbons. Lina was interested in adding some bloody red and baleful black glue to suggest dripping wounds. Val discovered that mixing the green and black made vile slime.

"Thanks," Zel nodded as he adjusted one of his earplugs in a simple gesture in Gourry's direction.

"Anytime," flashed Gourry's smile in return.

**_

* * *

From the Authors:_**

_Seyruun High Jinx now has a home! Ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Kaeru Shisho? No? Well, you can anyway now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. Hope to see you there! --KS_

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Nine.


	10. As Do The Folks Who Do the Carving

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! **

**Chapter Ten: **

**As Do The Folks Doing the Carving...**

Until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change, you will never change. -- Les Brown

* * *

Xelloss scooped the toasted pumpkinseeds with a slotted spoon, transferring them carefully to a waiting bowl. These were only some of the huge quantity, which he had just transferred from the hot oven sheets. The fragrance was delicious, nutty, and rich with olive oil. Lina, he knew, would love them.

"Now, sprinkle them with a little salt," advised Mrs. Andrews, the mayor's cook.

"Okay!" he agreed and set to the task.

Meanwhile on the porch, Amelia was talking to Zelgadiss. "...And so, I wanted to show everyone. The pictures should be ready by now. Mr. Xelloss took them in for me after the apple picking. Um...Mr. Zelgadiss?"

Even with the earplugs in fully, Zelgadiss could hear her voice. Faintly. If he was paying attention, which he wasn't. To be polite, though, he removed them and looked up. "Yes, Amelia?"

She sighed. How much of what she had said had he caught? "Did Mr. Xelloss or you drop off my film yet?"

"Yes, he did. And Xelloss had me stop on the way over and pick up some pictures. Go ask him if he brought them in with his backpack." Noticing that Amelia was done with him, he stuffed the earplugs back into his ears. He had already decided that the photos from the pumpkin patch would be 'just too cute' to withstand listening to their chatter. Tuning them all out, he turned his full attention to the thoroughly absorbing task in front of him: carving intricate, fine lines into his masterpiece pumpkin.

"Oh, Mr. Xelloss is really busy in the kitchen. I'll just go take a peek and save him the trouble," Amelia said gazing down at Zel's mass of wiry hair. She waited. Since Zelgadiss said nothing to stop her, she hastily hopped over to where the kids had dropped their belongings. "Oops! Sorry!" She gasped as she nearly crushed one of Val's splendidly chiseled pumpkins in her clumsy attempt to avoid squashing one of Lina's.

"Watch it!" Both Val and Lina grumbled, not even looking up from their endeavors.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry" Amelia cried out.

Luckily, Amelia regained her footing and righted herself without harming anything. It took her no time to locate Xelloss' familiar bag perched neatly off to one side. She opened it and immediately spotted an 11x14 envelope inside. The name of a photography studio was printed on the label along with his name. "This must be them. It's just like him to use the best place when the corner drugstore would have done good enough! I hope these aren't enlargements he had made..."

As she closed his bag, she called out to the others for a look. "I gottem! You have to see these pictures. There should be one of us on the hayride and one of me on a pumpkin the size of a chair!"

Xelloss picked up a large bowl of toasted pumpkin seeds to carry out of the kitchen.

"I need to take a break anyway," sighed Filia as she wiped off her hands on a towel. "Let's see what ya got there, _darling._"

"Me too!" Sylphiel cried out.

"Miss Lina, don't you want to see too?" Amelia called beseechingly. "_I_ didn't order them so large, so it was _his_ idea..."

"Yeah, yeah...coming..."

"That's one fine shot of Xelloss," Filia said in a mocking tone. "Where're the pumpkins?"

When Lina released her knife, Gourry set down his and unfolded his legs. Val exclaimed a successful finish to his creation, and then stood to join the others. Zelgadiss was the last to wander over, why look at the pictures when he'd been there? But by the time he had connected with his friends, the nature of the conversation had turned dramatically.

"That's the shirt I made for him. Amelia, I just gave it to him a few days ago, so he couldn't have worn it last week. How did you get him to pose like...oh...my...gods..." Sylphiel gasped.

"What, Miss Sylphiel? Oh, huh? I didn't take that one. Or that! Or, certainly not _t-those_!" Amelia's voice cracked.

"Let me see! Gimme one!" Lina demanded as she made a grab at one off the bottom of the stack. She stared open-eyed but mute at the photo in her hands. Her mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out.

"He-he's," Filia gasped, and then started to laugh nervously.

Gourry and Val had ambled over by this time to see the pictures from the trip they had missed. Gourry looked over Lina's shoulder and coughed, "What's this?"

Val caught sight of the photos in Lina's hands, then those that Filia was holding. "Hey! You shouldn't be lookin' at those! They're personal!"

Val's long arm shot out and snatched at a few photos just as Zelgadiss pushed his way into the group. Zel moved quickly when he noticed the girls' blushes and heard their surprised, convulsive catches of breath become embarrassed giggles. Zel remembered that Xelloss had told him that he needed to stop and pick up some pictures. He had had a series of professional shots taken for his latest 'project.' Oh, no... Those must be the ones he picked up, not Amelia's! What were these guys doing nosing through Xelloss' things!

"Damn it all Amelia!" Zelgadiss was furious. "What the hell did you do? You just go rummaging through Xelloss' bag and take these without asking? I didn't say it was all right! You idiot! Val, get the rest of those away from them now!"

Xelloss had entered the room carrying his bowl of seeds. He was imagining the look of barefaced greed on Lina's face when he delivered the aromatic snack to her feet. The shrieks of excitement! That cry of 'gimme!' But instead, he heard Zelgadiss' irate voice chewing out somebody. Xelloss opened his eyes and took one look at the shocked and giggling girls and caught the accusatory expression on Gourry's face and the photos in their hands...HIS photos...and he simply lost it.

Crash!

Pumpkin seeds. Glistening with olive oil and sparkling with salt crystals, the richly roasted, still-warm-from-the-oven seeds flew everywhere as the metal bowl hit the floor and bounced twice.

Boing! Boing!

Oh my...gods...no... The blood drained from his face. Afraid to face certain rejection from his friends, Xelloss panicked.

Zelgadiss continued to yell, no…scream at Amelia. Val was snatching up the photos and cursing the others as well. Gourry stood tall and erect, the looked toward where Xelloss had entered the room, following the sound of the crash to its source. He appeared bewildered. Where had Xelloss gone off too? "I'm goin' after him," he told Zel, mostly, then broke free of the crowd. Xelloss, Gourry thought, ought to be here and face them all…not let Zel take the heat.

Zel replied, "Go ahead."

With a nod, Gourry left the room, reaching the door in two long strides. Outside, he caught a movement to the side. "Hey!"

He followed Xelloss down the path to where Zel's car and Val's motorcycle were parked. When Gourry rounded on the shrubbery between them, he could not find Xelloss. "Xelloss?"

He slowed his gait and walked around until he found Xelloss slumped up against Zel's car, on the pavement, head between his knees, which were bent up to his chest with his feet flat on the ground. His face remained hidden.

Gourry moved to stand over him, not knowing what to say. "I…uh…don't wanna know…um…why ya got a bunch of naked pictures taken of yerself…or…why ya brought'em here…or…ah…whatcher gonna do with'em, but…" Gourry's uneasiness was evident. He was being truthful. He did not want to know anything. He didn't want to get in a conversation about the situation with the guy, just reassure him that things were under control back at the house. "I just want ya ta know, um…that Val's gottem all back and Zel's let…ah…everyone know to stay outta yer business. So, um…you can come back now, if ya want."

Xelloss shook his head.

"Want me ta tell Zel ta take ya home?"

Xelloss nodded his assent.

"Might be best. 'Kay…I'll go get him, then…" Gourry muttered, and then left.

When Gourry told Zelgadiss where to find his friend, Val waved them both back. "My turn. Hey, I'm gettin' good at this 'helpin' friends' stuff, right?" he chuckled. "I'll have him back fer dinner. He just needs a… some sen-si-_tive_ re-_a_-sure-ance."

Zel sighed, "Do your thing…" and allowed Gourry to settle him at his carving spot to cool off. He would have to apologize later, to Amelia especially, for his outburst. What he had said was true, but he had been especially harsh. He was a private young man himself, and so, was particularly sensitive to violations to someone else's personal domain. Call it secretiveness or discreteness; he understood both aspects of Xelloss' psyche, and his own.

Xelloss looked up when the clinking, jangling noise of chains, not Zel's quiet padding footsteps, approached him. "I just want to go away," he told Val through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, well…" Val smiled. "You ever been on a motorcycle? No? So, dude, come on. This'll be a real treat fer ya then."

Surprisingly, Xelloss did follow Val to his bike. He was deeply embarrassed, but not about his own body. He had had time to glance briefly through the photos when he picked them up; just a quick scan at the counter as he was paying for them to ensure that he had been given the correct shots. He had thought they were pretty tasteful, but certainly not intended for three priestesses and (gulp) Lina to goggle over! Then there was Val. Val didn't seem to care, but then why should he? He surely had overlooked _Val's_ indiscretions in the past. Val apparently could do the same when it came to him.

"Okay," Xelloss said. He caught the spare helmet Val tossed him.

"Better hold on."

"So…" Xelloss said as he slid onto the back close behind Val. "Ah…where?" Xelloss looked for a seat belt or something to secure himself with.

"There's a small handle…Yeah, there," Val showed him. "The other arm goes around me."

Val noted Xelloss' hesitance, then said lightly, "Just think of this as a male bonding experience."

"Sure," Xelloss giggled and adjusted his helmet one more time, then clung loosely to Val.

Val revved the motor and roared off. Xelloss nearly squeezed the breath out of him, but released his grip as he calmed a bit. They turned out of the Mayor's drive and headed up into the hills where Val had taken Lina for a ride before. Winding away from the city faster and faster, they swept past the last of the houses. Xelloss cried out for joy! He loved it! What a rush! The speed…it was like flying…freedom…the wind felt cold on his hands and face as it swept by. Val pulled off at a vista point and stopped—too soon for Xelloss' taste.

"WOW!" Xelloss grinned with excitement. "That was so cool!"

Val laughed, "Yeah, some like it, others don't. Lina does."

"I gotta get one! Do you need a special license?"

"Yeah. I'll let ya test this one, but you should get somethin' smaller. Ya know… fer a light-weight like you." Val winked at Xelloss to ensure him that he was just joking.

Xelloss smirked back.

They remained quiet awhile, content to watch the sun dip lower toward the horizon and listen to the wind whistling through the pines.

Xelloss felt Val staring at him after a bit. He sighed, "So, I bet you'd like to know about those photographs."

Val shook his head. "Shit, I'd be lyin' if I said 'no', but it ain't none of my business. It's yer call. It's just…well, I know yer not hard up for cash or anythin'…so I can't figure out why else a guy would do that."

With a moan, Xelloss collapsed onto the dry grass. "Gods… If you think I might be selling those…jeez…They must all think I'm some…depraved pervert…"

"Yer not."

"Thanks. No, I'm not." Xelloss took a deep breath. "Those were studio shots. Professional…"

"Ah…yeah…good lightin'," Val chuckled softly. He knew Xelloss was struggling here.

"Yeah… They are for an ad. I'm waiting for papers to clear, but see… I'm working with the Abused Children's Association. Some of them will be used in a poster to help raise money to stop abuse and to fund a mental hospital where the worst cases end up. I think in medical journals and thing like that… And not ALL the picture. Just from the waist up. See, with the shirt on I'm just another pretty face, but beauty is only skin deep, something along those lines. The, ah, shots were taken by a woman…"

"Oh?" Val's smile became more of a leer.

"A woman in her fifties, Val!" Xelloss laughed. "She took a series of pictures of lots of famous musicians, including identical poses of one guy in particular—some teen-idol from the past that I resemble. It goes on from there but…that's the gist of it."

Once he had had time to collect his thoughts, Zelgadiss explained to the others what he knew. "Xelloss is waiting for Mr. Cassidy to sign the agreement they voiced over the phone. He's a great guy, I guess, whose wife heads a charity for kids already. Xelloss is putting up all the money to do this. The plan is for the ads to run in certain professional papers. Sponsors will donate money to the programs to help abused children get help."

"They'll print…_all_ that?" Sylphiel asked, confused.

Zel gave her a disgusted look. "No, obviously they cut off…they frame it appropriately. As I explained, they were just done the way that famous guy's were done. I'm sure they'll be very… sensitive and done tastefully when they appear in the paper. Now, had you waited for him to show you, you wouldn't have subjected yourselves to such a humiliating situation!"

"We are _really_ sorry!" Amelia said through tears. "And for _such_ a righteous cause, too! I should have guessed…"

"You should _not_ have looked in the first place!" Zel snapped.

And so, it started again.

Val sighed, "Shit, ya had to go and be so damned noble an' all. Yer just so…good it hurts."

Xelloss smiled, "Tell that to the girls."

"Zel know 'bout the ad?"

Xelloss nodded.

"Then, by now he's told them all. They'll be all _mol-i-fied_ by the time we get back. Maybe they'll keep their hands outta yer bags from now on."

"Ah…so…"

Val stared at him, then added, "I think it took a lotta guts to do that."

Laughing, Xelloss said, "You have _no_ idea! And even more_ self-control_!"

Zelgadiss was not speaking to any of the others. He had decided not to open his mouth any more. He couldn't trust that what would come out wouldn't cause even more pain and trouble that what he'd already dished out. Amelia had left her party to 'freshen up'. But, he knew that he'd made her cry. Of course, it _was_ her fault.

Just as he was about to dive into the last remaining pumpkin, the cook stuck her head out the back door and called, "Now who's the pie-maker here? There you are!" Her dark eyes fixed on Zelgadiss. "Your friend told me all about your skills in the kitchen. How would you like to come lend me a hand. That other nice boy seems to have left already."

Zelgadiss, happy to be off on his own errand, nodded to the older woman and gladly handed over the last pumpkin to Filia before disappearing into the kitchen.

"I've sliced the apples and added a squeeze of lemon, a handful of sugar, and a dusting of cinnamon, but if I don't get to mashing on these potatoes, there'll be no dinner tonight." The cook hauled a pot of boiled potatoes over to the sink to drain.

"You'd like me to make a crust then." Simply put. That was Zel.

"Four. Two tops and two bottoms. And you can call me Mrs. Andrews. Butter or lard?"

"Ah…a bit of both…please," he answered then fell in at the cold marble slab.

Zelgadiss was most contented when busy on a venture of his own in the kitchen. He measured ingredients, cut the fat into the flour, sprinkled on the ice water, blended, and rolled out four perfect circles. "Those are ten inch pans, correct?"

"Yes they are. Oh, those do look fine. That nice Mr. Xelloss was right. You are quite the chef, aren't you?" She smiled as she checked the roast and pulled the pan out of the oven.

"I've had a lot of practice."

"And the little Missy thinks the world of you," Mrs. Andrews continued. "I thought it was Mr. Xelloss who had caught her eye. **He** I'd seen hanging around the place to see her, but I've never seen too much of you."

Zel's cheeks turned pink. He pretended to be absorbed in the creation of the perfect pies edges for his crusts. "Xelloss is…my brother, sort of. We share a house with Val in town, but before that, we stayed briefly here…in the coach house when out house had burned down. He may have done more socializing at that time. Xelloss is more…outgoing, you could say."

"I certainly would," The cook agreed. "But it's _you_ who the Missy and the Mayor talk about. You've stirred things up around here quite a bit."

"I, er…wouldn't know about that. We're all in a band together."

Ignoring his weak reply, the cook pushed her point. "Yes, the little Missy has been planning something special for her birthday. Yes! Can you imagine? It's almost a month away and already she's counting on going someplace _very_ special with a _very_ special and, I might add, _lucky_ young man." She turned and gave poor Zel a very hard stare. "You **are** planning on taking her someplace _very_ special for her _very_ first date, I hope!"

Zelgadiss swallowed. Oh that. Her father had given them permission, but he didn't think that he, Zelgadiss, had actually given the standard verbal agreement, you know…'Thank you Sir. I'd be happy to wait and date you daughter then Sir!' On the other hand, had he? He had been in such terror of the man at the time and a bit out of sorts from the whole DARKSTAR fiasco, he might have been said just about any stupid thing. Had he? Well…oh…well, Amelia thought to, apparently…and her father too. Oh, gods… Oh, joy… "Ah…I'm still working on the arrangements," he said to the pie in his hands.

"Well, just as long as you haven't forgotten. You know, the Mayor doesn't like his precious little darling to be hurt or disappointed!" Mrs. Andrews reminded him unnecessarily.

"No. That would be...unjust…" Zel muttered in a low voice.

"Exactly!" the cook beamed. "Lovely pies, dear. The oven's set. I'll take care of these now. You go on out and join your friends. Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes!"

Dismissed, Zel's first anxious thoughts were concerning that 'darling daughter'. Where was she now? Crying her eyes out in her room because of his callous words? Great. Just great. He's have to go and deal with that crisis first. This was not his forte! He'd never been up to her room, but he knew that he had best resolve everything before old Phil arrived home. Lina. Lina would know where to find Amelia. "Lina!" he shouted and bounded out of the kitchen to find Lina.

"Up the stairs. Third door on the right. And make it snappy. Phil's due home any minute," Lina said. "Oh, and make it sincere, Zel-bob. She feels pretty bad about the whole thing."

He was about to toss off some snide remark like, 'Too bad', but wisely reconsidered and gave her a curt nod instead. He took the stairs two at a time, counted doors and knocked on what was unmistakably Amelia's (It had a cute little sign printed in pink and decorated with flowers, which read 'Daddy's Princess Lives Here.') "Amelia?"

"Huh? M-Mr. Zelgadiss?"

He could hear the sound of shuffling pillows, then her fumbling at the doorknob. It opened a crack.

"Yes. I…came to apologize. I had no right to speak to you…so severely. I usually have better self-control than that and I…shouldn't have been so rude."

The door opened wide. "Oh. You can come in."

He hesitated a moment before stepping into her room. Had his apology been accepted then? Whoa. He'd been in girls' rooms before. Not that he'd made any kind of study of it, but most weren't any different than his own. Sylphiel's had been littered with discarded clothes, however, he understood her bathroom was loaded with bottles and hair things. He'd slept on the floor at Filia's and noticed the flocks of dragon posters and related items adding to the décor, but besides that, it had been rather ordinary. Oh, and Lina's room, of course. Lina's was pretty much like his only messier, not much, but hers had more food-related articles lying about than his room. No, he'd seen other girls' rooms, but none were…like Amelia's.

The room was huge, to begin with. Palatial. A lacey canopy-covered bed stood at one end of the room and nearby was a door to what he guessed was a walk-in closet/dressing room. Amelia led him over to a small table and a pair of chairs not far from the door. Pink. Roses. White furniture. Fluffy white rugs. Lots of stuffed animals. Neat. Definitely feminine. Definitely foreign territory for him. Was he supposed to sit? What was he doing here?

"Ah…" He was grossly uncomfortable. He felt like a crude, unpolished stone someone had dropped into the royal family's treasure box brimming with priceless gems.

"Mr. Zelgadiss, did I ever show you my collection?" Amelia asked innocently.

At first, Zel was just plain stunned, and then as he noticed that she was serious, he gave her a bemused smiled and said, "I thought that was supposed to be _my_ line."

"Oh!" She got the mildly suggestive joke and blushed. "Mr. Zelgadiss…"

"Can't I please just be Zel?"

"Oh, I don't think so. I tried that before and it simply won't work for me. I'll try and call you Zelgadiss, like Mr. Xelloss, though!" She smiled up at his face cheerfully.

"Well, that would be better," he sighed. "So, you were saying…you have a collection…a real one up here?"

"Yes! Come here, I'll show you!"

He followed her dutifully to the furthest wall and focused on the dozens, no hundreds…thousands of tiny cups lined up on rows upon rows of narrow ledges mounted onto the wall. He'd had thought that it had been wallpaper, from a distance.

"What are these?" he asked, truly impressed with the sheer numbers.

"Sake cups!" she announced proudly. "They were my mother's well…all but a few that I have collected since…she died and I inherited them. I believe it's the largest collection in the whole world."

"Sake… Yes, your mother was Japanese, wasn't she?"

"Yes, just like yours. She was like a princess when my father met her. They were both so young and in love. They couldn't wait to marry, so they eloped and her parents were very angry. Eventually, they forgave her and started sending these to her after my mother and father moved to Seyruun. Some of these are thousands of years old."

"I imagine they are very valuable," Zel said as he cautiously inspected one of the plainer ones.

"Yes, like that one! You have a good eye for rare things…Zelgadiss."

"It was just drabber than the others. It stood out," he confessed.

"I think it has character. Even the stains on the outside…see? That's blood from the lady whose lover killed her for marrying another man. Oh and this one is stained with purple inside from a poison one man served his colleague who he believed had swindled him in their business."

"Fascinating…" Zel meant it too. "Do they all have stories?"

"I'm sure they do, but I don't know them all. My mother wrote down as many as she knew in a journal, which I've read and re-read many times. It's really all I have of her, well…that and my memories. But that's enough. I can read and read her written words and it's just like she's here in the room with me, telling me those stories in person." Amelia's smile faltered. "You don't think that's strange or too morbid, do you?"

Zel turned to his friend. "No of course not. I'd feel the same way, if I had such a journal to read. You honor her memory when you read her words and think about her."

"Yes, I thought you might feel that way. I hoped that I might share this all with you."

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" Zel smiled faintly.

"Yes. To forgive is the right thing to do! And…I was in the wrong. I will have to apologize to Mr. Xelloss next. So you think he'll forgive me too?"

"I imagine he already has. I don't think that he left because he was mad. More likely, he was embarrassed because Filia and Sylphiel were laughing. He'll get over it." Zel looked away, his eyes focusing on the setting sun from her window. He did not want to talk about Xelloss anymore. Everyone expected him to be the authority on Xelloss as if they were afraid to approach him themselves.

"Zelgadiss?"

"Ah…yes?"

"I'm…happy that you are comfortable enough around me to speak your mind. You know…to tell me what you truly think and not 'candy coat' things for me. Mr. Xelloss does that too and I appreciate being treated like…an equal. I'm glad that you can be yourself around me. You see, I can accept you as you are. Can you do the same for me? Forgive me all my faults too?" Amelia smiled up at him sweetly, but not timidly. She was as open and honest a girl as he had ever known. Not afraid to speak her mind or admit her feelings, even around him. Plus she didn't have a cruel bone in her body.

"Of course," he muttered, blushing with the admission. How had they gone from his apologizing to this? Of course, now would be a good time to bring up the other thing on his mind.

"Ah…which reminds me…"

"Yes, Zelgadiss?"

She was trying out his name for practice, he decided. "I was wondering if you would like to…make some plans for your…"

"YES!" she cried out. Seeing that she'd assented before even hearing him out, she covered her mouth with her hands and blushed more.

Zelgadiss chuckled. Tension eased markedly in the room. "All right. I think I'd like to hear your ideas first; for your birthday, that is. The university events for that time haven't been printed yet and I was hoping to find something of interest to you…"

"Oh! I'll wait then!" she blurted out excitedly. The idea of going someplace just with Zelgadiss, and on campus too…so grown-up!

"Fine. The 'What's Happening' calendar should be out in a day or two. I'll bring it to Japanese class and we can look it over." There he had done it and it really hadn't been so very difficult after all. All it took was for Xelloss to bring a bunch of nude photographs of himself to the party…

"I can't wait until my birthday! Whatever we do, it will be so much fun!"

Her exuberance was catching. Zelgadiss smiled and ran a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs form his eyes. It didn't take much to get Amelia all worked up.

She flung her arms around him and gave him a breath-taking squeeze. "I just know it!"

Zelgadiss was not a demonstrative person when it came to showing affection. He had rarely been hugged as a child and not much more as a teenager. He didn't know how to react, and he didn't have the time to think of what to do, when their _moment _was interrupted.

"Zelgadiss." The voice of doom boomed.

Zel's smiled vanished as he wheeled around, detaching Amelia from his waist. Oh…shit…"S-Sir?"

"Oh DADDY! You're home! Zelgadiss just asked me to go out with him on my birthday! We're going to plan it all out later, but…it's going to be lots of fun!" she cried out as she proceeded to fall into the big man's arms. "I'm just so happy I don't know if I can eat!"

Zel's appetite had certainly gone south, but he found his voice and said, "You should have something first so your father will let you have dessert. I made the pie."

"You DID!"

Damn. Zel could envision Amelia's eyes filling with a combination of hearts and pies fluttering around with tiny pink wings.

"Come on then!" Amelia cried out. She grabbed her father's arm and Zel's both and pulled them through the hall and downstairs. "Let's hurry before Lina and Gourry eat everything!"

Zelgadiss gave in and let himself be led around by the jubilant girl. What was he to do? Right now, she was his best protection from her father.

"Yo! Anythin' left ta eat!" Val yelled as he and Xelloss stomped in fresh, but windblown from their ride back.

"Oh, hello, Mayor Phil!" Xelloss greeted the big man cordially. He gave his own hair a cursory patting down and smiled.

The mayor nodded to both young men, and then bellowed as he grinned, "There had better be, or I'll put you all to work making more…" He paused. There on the porch floor were perched dozens of freshly carved pumpkins. Faces grinning, grimacing, gnashing, and purring-- all lit by candles. Lina, Gourry, Filia, and Sylphiel stood behind and around them.

"So whaddaya think?" Lina grinned triumphantly, as if she'd made them all herself. "We figured it might be worth a dinner to ya!"

"Um…" Gourry smiled uncertainly, "We waited to eat…till ya came…"

"Well, I come home to so many surprises!" Phil looked around, gazing into all the smiling faces of his daughter's friends. He paused especially long on Zel's rather anxious one. "But this…" he swept his free arm dramatically through the air at the pumpkins, "…is the most unexpected one. They are marvelous! Stupendous! The most magnificent specimens I have ever feasted my eyes upon." He beamed.

For a few minutes, everyone spoke at once, proudly pointing out which was their creation and how they did it. You would have thought that they were all twelve showing their own dads their works of art.

"However," Phil interrupted after most of them had had their say, "Let us all feast together on whatever it is that smells so delicious. Sound good to you?"

"Damned straight!" Lina shouted. "I'll start with firsts and seconds of everything! Oh, and while we're at it, I'll tell you all about a bunch of gigs comin' up for us."

"And," Phil said over Amelia's head in a comparatively low voice to Zelgadiss, "I am looking forward to tasting that dessert most of all tonight!"

Zel shot him a quick look and sighed in relief when Phil grinned and gave him a big wink, wiggling his bushy eyebrows.

The mayor enjoyed his dinner with his daughter's dear friends. Such good kids, remarkably. Good-looking kids, all of them. He did hope a few…no...ALL of the boys would get their hair cut. Val in particular. 'Bout time he grew out of his rebellious stage. Why, even the hair of that meticulously clean Xelloss character was a bit blowsy today. And that Zelgadiss boy! But…now, hadn't Amelia told him that his hair never grew? Well, it certainly was looking longer, getting into his eyes more; that is, unless the boy was trying to hide. The older man had to smile at that thought. "Good. He should respect me," Phil thought.

Xelloss was contrite, nodding politely when required. He avoided eye contact with everyone, believing that subjecting them all to the least of him was best, from their stand point. He chewed and swallowed.

"What do you think?" Phil began, collecting all the eyes his way. "I call my barber and set you all up for some haircuts? After one of your practices…"

Gourry dropped his fork and choked on whatever he had been eating moments before. Lina slapped him on the back a few times, which didn't help, and scooped up the last of his green beans. "Don't get so worked up about it, Gourry."

Xelloss smiled and politely turned down the offer. "Filia does mine, thank you. Oh, which reminds me…Filia? Could I trouble you to come to the shrine one day this week? Subaru would like to cut his hair." He looked over Lina's head to catch Phil's eye. "Not to insult your barber, but Filia here is really an expert at cutting the…longer styles, I believe."

"Ho, ho!" chuckled the mayor. "What are you all afraid of?" Think he'll expose some secrets you boys are hiding under all that hair?"

Filia burst into peals of laughter. "Oh, my…I think one of them in particular has been a little _over exposed_ today already!"

Xelloss struggled for his breath a moment. He rapidly regained his composure and smiled when Lina and the others laughed at her joke. Phil let it pass knowing he had been cut out of the teenage loop somewhere along the way. He did get the last word in as everyone packed up and prepared to go.

"Zelgadiss, son. I'd like a word with you, if you don't mind?" Phil called out. "No, Amelia, just him, please. You go on and help you friends collect their belongings."

Zelgadiss swallowed hard, sighed significantly, and then straightened his shoulders. He had done nothing wrong, except yell too much at Amelia, and she had already forgiven him that transgression. Keeping that fact in mind, he separated from the others and fell in with the mayor.

"Yes, Phil?"

"Ordinarily," Phil paused to clear his throat, "We restrict the entertaining of guests to the downstairs rooms. Upstairs are for private use only."

"But I was showing…Zelgadiss my sake cup collection!" Amelia pointed out.

"And I think Zelgadiss is perfectly able to speak for himself, darling daughter of mine. Now go, shoosh!" Phil turned back to the young man standing at his elbow. "Oh, she showed you her _collection_, did she?"

"Yes. I found it to be unexpected, but very interesting," Zel said with a slight smile. He pretended not to 'get' the euphemism and played naive. "Especially the stories accompanying some of the cups."

Phil returned the smile and nodded. "Yes… You know, her mother once showed me that same collection, well mostly the same give or take a few, back in her homeland of Japan."

"Oh?" Zel replied with interest.

"Yes," the mayor chuckled and bobbed his head and bushy eyebrows asynchronously. "Yes…and when her father caught us alone in the house, he was furious and demanded that we be engaged immediately." He stared hard down at the shorter young man. "Lucky for us, we were planning to do so anyway. In fact, we couldn't wait until the enormous wedding plans were made, so we ran off together. We eloped! Her father didn't speak to us for a very long time, which was fine by my books since it meant we were left alone for awhile. No family responsibilities to have to bear, you see. Then we moved here. I had a law office to run, you know. Poor man… He missed us then, you can be sure! As a way of demonstrating that we were forgiven, he and his wife began sending those cups to us…a few every so often. To remind of our family left behind in Japan, I suppose. So you see, that collection has a great deal of significance to me and to Amelia, understand?"

"Yes," Zel nodded. He wasn't certain of the point, however.

"You bet you do!" The big man laughed and clapped Zel good-naturedly on the back. "But now that you've seen it, don't go back up there again, understand?"

Zel nodded mutely. _That_ he understood!

"Ha, ha…sure you do! You're a good man, Zelgadiss. You and I are going to get along just fine!" Phil stomped off chuckling to himself.

Amelia waited until her daddy had left the room, then she ran back to Zelgadiss, worry etching her features. "Is everything okay! What did he say to you?"

"I…_am_ forgiven, I think, but he doesn't want me…no…he pretty much _forbids_ me visit your, um…bedroom again…apparently." Zel cleared his suddenly scratchy throat.

"He's not telling you we can't…that you can't come over or anything?"

"He didn't say that."

"Whew!" Amelia let out her breath. "That's good. Come on, I'll walk you to the door. Mr. Xelloss already put your things in the car for you."

She gave Zelgadiss a blissful smile. He returned a bemused one. It was the best he could manage under the circumstances.

There, waiting outside the door, were his friends. Xelloss was talking to Filia and Sylphiel calmly as ever. Filia would stay overnight with Sylphiel at the shrine one day this week, then they could pay Subaru a call. She couldn't wait, as Xelloss had guessed correctly, to touch the boy's silky, black locks and give him a less girlish look with a good haircut. Lina and Gourry were laughing aloud about how he might look with short hair, while Val was clasping the blonde mane in pack pony-tail style and making snip, snip sounds. Looks like everyone was smiling by the end of the day. Well, that was progress, wasn't it?

**_

* * *

From the Authors:_**

_Seyruun High Jinx now has a home! Ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Kaeru Shisho (Frog, anyway…rat's picture has already been up for a while)? No? Well, you can anyway now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. Hope to see you there! --KS_

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Ten.


	11. Dear Zelly, I have this problem…

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 11 **

**Dear Zelly, I have this problem…**

I cannot and will not attempt to speak for the entire male portion of the population, but…I know that…all they have to do is look at you and…they can't help themselves." _-- Zelgadiss to Lina_

* * *

Lina and crew were gathering for lunch, each with their own idea of a meal. Zelgadiss and Xelloss were late, as was often the case if traffic was heavy.

"I just don't _know_ any more," Sylphiel said, with significance attached, to Filia.

It was musical chairs at the lunch table. After the second week of school, Gourry's twin sisters had moved on to a table with a few of their own classmates. This meant that the seats beside Xelloss were left unoccupied. Feeling left out of the gossip at the one far end, Sylphiel immediately claimed the seat to Xelloss' left. Filia complained about having to look at his face during lunch and so the game began, sans music, leaving Xelloss to have to guess which spot might be his on a given day. Amelia insisted--and she could since Zel wasn't there to object-- that the seat beside her must not be taken by anyone other than Zelgadiss. Well, Filia didn't mind being next to Zel and across from Lina or Gourry, so she usually took that seat, and Sylphiel the one beside her. Val used the opportunity to sit beside Lina and so took Filia's open one: this way he could look at Filia all he wished, not to mention his favorite redhead. He wondered if there was any way to negotiate the other girls into a formation surrounding him completely…wouldn't be so hard if Zelgadiss would move…

Xelloss on the other hand had the following choices: first, sit next to Gourry where Sylphiel had been previously posted on the outskirts; second, sit next to Sylphiel on the other far end of the galaxy; or thirdly, sit next to Val, across from Sylphiel and (got to love it) still within Filia's laser-breath and short-range radar. The first, and last, time he made choice number three, Filia threatened to tell the world about his nude photos if he didn't change seats. When he sat beside Sylphiel, no one made a point of including him in the conversation; he couldn't even make eye contact. That placed him next to Gourry the following day. Well, at least he could get up to speed on the Suzaku Seven highlights from little Chiriko, because Gourry, it seemed, was a limited conversationalist.

"Hello," Xelloss would greet them all.

"'Lo," Gourry would grunt, then plow into his lunch for the remainder of the hour.

"Hi, Mr. Xelloss!" Amelia would chirp, then turn to Zelgadiss and prattle on about something just out of his hearing range in the conflux of kids voices in the cafeteria.

"Xelloss, Nuriko told me to tell you that Tamahome's arranging a string of gigs coming up on the weekends and that Hotohori hasn't been able to get a hold of Lina to schedule with you guys, but I said I'd see you and let you know." Chiriko paused to gasp for air.

"Oh? He must have gotten through to Lina because she told us about the first two coming up. One's this weekend, right? We have some new stuff to try out. One or two at this job, maybe add the others in one at a time as they come together." Xelloss smiled and nibbled at a cracker.

"Really? We haven't had time to work on anything new! Tell me about them," the younger boy asked enthusiastically.

"Well, in one, Lina and I get to dance and sing. My stand-in at the drums isn't ready yet, but when he is, we'll do that one. Zel has a Lina duet that could be used. So does Gourry here, but his is not ready yet. Val's piece is great and we can do that one or Zel's anytime. Lina has about a dozen in the works, some for our musical. Didn't I tell you about that? Well…" and so Xelloss had an eager listener with which to occupy his time.

Zelgadiss found himself in the enviable position, to some anyway, of being surrounded by female voices. Once or twice, he might get a word in edgewise with Val or Gourry, but Val was too interested in conversing with Filia or Lina, while Gourry seemed more intent on eating than ever before. He couldn't keep the Filia/Amelia monologues straight.

"So, did you get the…" Amelia would be saying, when Filia's voice would overlap with, "…most disturbing man he'd ever had to talk to. I just hope he…" Zel would be interested in finding out who she was referring to, when Amelia's voice overlay would confuse the meaning. "…finds something fun to do. And if Nahga can, we can too!"

After ten minutes of this, Zelgadiss simply gave up and sank his head face down onto the table. Filia simply ignored him and began chatting with Amelia over his head. Zel struggled to locate his earplugs, push them securely into his ears, and then resume his face down position for the remainder of lunch.

"Hey, where'd Xelloss go?" Lina asked, batting Zel on the back of the head with a fork.

He turned his head to give her a dark look, but since he couldn't see through his thick bangs, the effect was completely ruined. However, he did manage an acid reply, "To hell, care to join him?"

"What's your problem?" Lina snapped back. She took the opportunity to rap him on the head a few more times with the fork before he reached up and grabbed it out of her hand. With a well-aimed fling, Zel sent the metal utensil flying past Gourry's nose and into Xelloss' hair.

"Hey!" Xelloss shouted indignantly. "Whose fork, may I ask, is this? _Lina_? My, my…I don't suppose you'd know how it happened to find its way into my hair, would you?"

"That's not important. The point is, I already let the acting teacher know our plans for the week, so after lunch, we can go straight to my place and get to work." Lina said leaning partway over Gourry's hunched form.

"I see, well…" The corners of Xelloss' mouth curve upwards. "Why not go now? We can stop for ice cream, if you'd like."

Gourry straightened and looked at Xelloss dead on, blocking his view of Lina (on purpose?)

"The musical, you know?" Xelloss said to Gourry with a smile.

"I know what Lina's talkin' 'bout. I'm not dumb, though ya think I am." Gourry said. There was something in his tone that sounded hardened, not hurt.

"Okay," was all Xelloss said in reply. He tended to ignore most of what Gourry had to say since it usually did not include or interest him. Xelloss stretched out across the table and called, "Zelgadiss?"

"I'll stop by to pick you up on our way to the pool," Zel said to the tabletop.

"And bring my suit and towels and…"

"And all…yes." Zel raised his head and checked the time. "I need to stop at my locker. I'll walk partway with you guys."

Seven minutes later, the bell rang and lunch/social hour was over for another day.

Gourry caught Zelgadiss after Japanese class. He wanted to talk. Desperately. Zelgadiss could tell the guy was in a bad way.

"What is it? Test coming up? Need some tutoring? You only have to ask and you know I'll help," Zel started it.

"Naw…well, I do, but…I need ta talk before we get to practice today."

"Sure. Hang on." Zel grabbed Amelia, not too difficult these days, and talked her into arranging for her van to pick up Lina and Xelloss, something he'd been doing the last few days. He turned back to Gourry and told him to come along to his car. They could talk on the way over.

Gourry started right in without needing any encouragement from Zel. "I get the feeling that somethin's goin' on."

Zel shrugged, "Like what?" then started the car.

"Why do ya think Luna lets him go over like that…so late an' all…and stay over! I gotta call ahead now or she don't even open the door."

"So we are talking about Luna?" Zel sighed. Not another heart-to-heart! Why did everyone choose him to open up to? Why not someone more suited to…sharing…like…Amelia? Or Xelloss? Well, not _him_ in this case but… wasn't even Val more adept than him, Zel…the cold, heartless…mysterious…fencer?

"I hope. I hope its just her and not…not somethin' Lina wants her ta do. Cut me off, like."

"Are you suggesting that Luna is taking orders from Lina? I don't think so, Gourry. And when you say 'him', you are referring to Xelloss, I take it?"

"Yeah…"

"I think Luna likes him, that's all. Don't let it bother you too much. She doesn't like me much either. I call before visiting, ever since I got caught sneaking in through Lina's…well, that was a long time ago. The point is," Zel scrambled mentally to recall what point it was that he'd been trying to make before wandering down memory lane. Gourry was giving him one of his trademark blank looks.

"What I'm trying to say is that, if you want to see Lina, just call her up first. Don't take Luna's attitude personally, all right?" Zel slowed as he approached the park, and pulled over. "Lina will always make time to talk to you."

"Ya think so?" Gourry looked moderately happier. "Ya don't think she's…gettin' closer ta him, do ya?"

Oh gods…this was just the kind of conversation Zelgadiss dreaded getting into with anyone!

"You would have to ask her. I'm no mind reader, thank the gods. It's bad enough having the hearing of the supernatural. I think they get along better than last year, but I don't see her treating him…" he paused. What was the word he was searching for? She did treat him differently than most of her other friends, that was the problem. But that was Lina. "…ah…like he's anything more than another member of the band."

Gourry was waiting for more.

Zel was remembering what Xelloss had written in his journal about that 'ten year promise thing'. How was he not to reveal the confidences held in Xelloss' journal and still be honest to Gourry? "She won't be ready for much else for a long time."

"Think so, huh?" Gourry sighed. "But Xelloss…he's still got a thing fer her, doesn't he?"

Zel sighed, "Don't we all? In a way, everyone either loves her or hates her. There's no in-between."

Gourry shot him that exasperated look that says 'spare me,' then went on to say, "A _big_ thing, Zel. He doesn't try an' hide it anymore, not that he did much before. That bugs me. I know it shouldn't, but it does. And…what bugs me most is that…Lina just lets him…get away with everything! I though she'd yell at him 'bout those pictures. He's nuts to do that. It was wrong. But Lina said nothin'! She woulda busted my head if I'd gone a done a thing like that!"

"Probably so," Zel agreed. "But that's because she expects more from you."

Gourry pondered that a moment. "Like a higher standard?"

"Yes."

"So…you think maybe Lina's just given up on Xelloss bein' any different so lets his fruitcake stuff just…be ignored. But me and you she expects us to …"

"Conform to her wishes, Val too. When we do she's pleased and when we don't…" Zel was saying.

"She pounds us. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Still…" Gourry pressed.

Zel flinched. Not more!

"He's gonna be with her lots now, what with that project of theirs. I really…don't feel good about that. Ya know, I never have trusted him. And now I know why…"

Don't tell me! Zel sent him the mental plea, but it fell on truly deaf ears this time.

"It's the way he watches Lina. Follows her all the time with his eyes, even when they're closed." Gourry fell silent.

"What?" Zel asked. He noticed that the time was slipping by. They'd best not be late to practice. He started the car again and pulled away from the curb. "You're sounding more paranoid than me. _Everyone_ looks at Lina! She's…always moving around making herself the center of attention."

"She's real attractive, Zel. Admit it," Gourry gave him a knowing smile.

Ignoring him, Zel continued, "Xelloss is just…a normal guy, that way, I mean. Listen, Gourry, why don't you simply ask Lina to…take a walk with you to…look at that house you're working on for Kiki. You'll feel better after you've had some time with her alone. Now…that's enough about…Lina. What about fencing this year? The girl's team will be mixed with ours, how do you think we should pair up?"

That worked. Gourry had a lot to say on that topic. Zelgadiss had successfully shifted the conversation off onto one of his own choosing. He did not want to play the go-between in any complex relationship problems that might be brewing. But, too bad for him, he was anyway.

Zelgadiss came home one evening after his first fencing team practice of the year. He was tired, but feeling good about everything. Lina, for one, had decided not to take up Utena's offer to join and learn how to handle a sword. To Zel, that was a blessing from Cephied. Lina was aggressive and domineering enough without a potentially lethal weapon in her hand. In fact, of the slayers group, only he and Gourry were on the team. That suited Zel to a 'T'. He was glad to whack away at Van and Inu for a change, and even Zangalus was an almost-pleasant change. Ah, yes… that Inu character Kagome liked was now attending their school, repeating his junior year. They were, it seemed, back together…too bad. Zel always liked Kagome.

Now all he wanted was to take his shower, eat something and do some reading and put together some chem notes for review for the test tomorrow. He was smiling when he realized that he had placed 'shower' on the top of his mental list when a year ago he most decidedly would have neglected to take one at all. Well, he'd have to tell Xelloss that he was a good influence on him…some time when he needed the ego boost.

The front room was dark. With both Val and Xelloss at home, he expected lights on somewhere. Ah… the back porch. He heard streams of music coming from the back, which led him to the French doors opening onto the stone patio and

hot tub area. He picked up his pace, dropping his fencing gear on the floor, and then hesitated when he arrived at the half-open door. Both Xelloss and Val were outside. Xelloss had some silly blue and white scarf tied around his head to keep the bangs off his face and was dancing to the music in his black silk pajama bottoms. Val was lounging on a lawn chair, drinking a soda and watching. Both looked awfully relaxed and at ease. If Zelgadiss was at his most content cooking alone, Xelloss was at his happiest dancing, most likely to an audience, and Val was totally cool with just hangin', man.

So, Zel stood in the doorway, feeling satisfied and comfortable. This was so much better than last year! Last year. He and Xelloss hadn't even been friends yet! Val was…someone with whom neither he nor Xelloss would have chosen to spend their free time. However, that was then, and this was now. The other two had not noticed him standing there. Val stood when Xelloss stopped and asked him a question. Val grinned and shook his head. Xelloss asked again, smiling generously. What ever it was, he really wanted Val to do it. Zel wondered what promises Xelloss would give him. Trading for some housework, probably.

Whatever the conditions, Val apparently gave in. Zel had to use his self-control to keep from bursting out in laughter. Val hunched over in odd crouches, arms wide and flailing around, then he moved into another set of positions. It was the oddest thing he had watched, that is, until Xelloss stared imitating him. Finally, Zelgadiss could stand it no longer.

"All right…what are you guys doing? You look like a couple of flamingos practicing Aikido." Zel called out.

Val blushed and stood straight, while Xelloss laughed aloud. "I was _dancing_."

"Oh, really?"

"I wanted some new dance steps so I asked Val to demonstrate some of his skateboarding moves. I think they look cool when the guys do them, but I felt kinda weird watching them, so I asked Val to just show me. I know I'll be able to integrate them into one of my dance routines. Just watch!"

Xelloss flipped the music back on, and to the tune 'Do You Believe in Magic', he did an interpretive dance incorporating some of Val's moves. Zel had to say, Xelloss was very good, even though it really wasn't his thing.

Val finished his soda in one swig and set it down.

"So, what did he have to promise to do to get you to do that?" Zel asked with a smirk.

"That's a secret," Val said with a laugh and walked back into the house. "But my workload's goin' down this next week."

"Hey, all right if I play some tunes outside?" Zel asked.

Xelloss turned down the music, "Sure."

Val came out with more drinks and Zel's acoustic guitar case, "Had the same idea."

The three 'brothers' played, sang, and danced for an hour or so. When they wound down, a round of applause greeted their ears. The neighbors had gathered outside in their yards from several houses to listen. They were becoming notorious.

Yeah, Zel was one contented guy. Sure. That's why he couldn't get to sleep that night. He gave up. He crawled out of bed, stepped into his pants and a pulled on a sweatshirt. On the way out the door he grabbed his keys, wallet, and sandals.

"This is nuts," he sighed. He checked his watch for the second time, 2:00 AM. "Lina's gonna…who knows…"

He parked his car a few houses down the street from hers and ran the rest of the way to the side of the house, hopped the fence and found Lina's bedroom window. Open just a crack. She _still_ kept it open that crack, he smiled. He interpreted that as an open invitation for him to call on her at anytime. His strong fingers made quick work of the sticky wood and in minutes he had the window to Lina's room open enough for his slender frame to squeeze through. As he brought up his head to look around, he was met face-to-face with the edge of a blade, an axe blade, with Lina at the opposite end of it.

"It's _me_! _Zel_!" he gasped.

"So it is…" Lina grinned, and then lowered the axe to the floor. "Good thing too 'cause this damned thing is too heavy to control. Head, hands, or—who knows what you might be missing if I hadn't figured out who it was climbing through my window at…2:10 AM."

"So you were expecting others?" he said with a smirk. Zel sat back on the sill as his fluttering heart quieted.

"I wasn't expecting you!" Lina fell back onto her bed. "So?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"So what's new? You never could."

"I've been sleeping better lately. The swimming helps, I think."

"That's nice," Lina bit off the words sharply, "…for you. I was doing pretty good myself until your breaking and entry act woke me up."

Zel sighed, "Sorry."

"Go on. At least, there'd _better_ be more to all this than _that_."

"There is, I just don't know how…All right. Here it is… There's this guy with a couple of friends who happen to be infatuated with the same girl. Ordinarily, this guy would ignore it all and that would be that, but this time he senses something…more serious." Here Zel paused to look up at Lina to see what connections she was making.

Her eyes narrowed, "You, Zel, are here to talk to me about romance problems?" She nearly choked on her own words. "Go home. Go to bed. The real Zelgadiss will reappear magically at lunch tomorrow. You, buster, are the dream Zel."

"Yeah, sure…_you_ dreaming about _me_!" Zel chuckled.

"You'd be surprised," Lina murmured. Remembering a few of those Zel, Xelloss, Gourry dreams from a while back, the ones about possible futures or something, made her stomach queasy for a second. She needed to shift the topic quickly.

Zel did. "The two friends trust this poor guy with their secrets, although they are entirely unsolicited and unwanted, I can assure you. Now he's being wedged into a corner-- and its one hell of a nasty, dark, lonely one too."

Lina sniffed, "So? What 's this got to do with me?"

Zel's icy blue stare met her flaming red one, neutralizing the air in between. "Come on, Lina, you are not dense."

She squirmed. "Okay…so what am I supposed to do about it?"

"What did you mean by 'wait for ten years'? Was that a permanent put-off or a promise of sorts?" Zel had a bad taste in his mouth. He did not want to talk about this with Lina. He'd rather talk about nearly anything else.

"That's not your business," she replied hotly. "He shouldn't have told you."

"He didn't, or rather…he wrote it in a journal, which I read. He's trying to get his head on straight and the writing has helped. It's just…he's so …" Zel looked Lina in the eye once again, but his eyes were filled with emotions, sad ones. "…Damned happy now…"

"Zel, I told him what I keep saying…I am not looking for a boyfriend and from all accounts I won't be for some time…maybe ten years. Ten years is a long time," Lina said knowingly."

"Not to Xelloss," Zel countered. "He's elated that it's _only_ ten. You can bet money on it, in ten years he will find you—wherever, whatever."

Lina looked shocked for a moment. She had used a similar turn of phrase herself! "That's ridiculous, Zel. He's not that…focused. However, I want the band to work, but …blast them anyway if they mess it up with their…stupid conflict…"

"Courtship," Zel offered.

"No, posturing and fighting. That's how I see it. If they mess up the band…then…I'll have to go get replacements and that's that!" Lina slapped the bed with her hand.

"You are talking about more than a bassist and a drummer here, Lina. Those are two of your…_our_ closest friends you are so casually dismissing."

"Then sleep on this: Get the word out to them that I mean business, got that!"

Zel nodded. "Ah…sorry about…this."

He looked so miserable that Lina figured he had suffered enough. "Yeah, well…things must be getting pretty rough to make _you_ want to talk. I mean, of all my friends, I've always counted on you for support. You're still the best, you know."

He pushed his bangs back from his eyes to see her more clearly. "Oh?"

"My best friend, guy-type…you know."

"Oh. Thanks, Lina. You've always been…um, I mean…There's no one like you."

"You bet there isn't!" she laughed.

"Ahem!"

Zelgadiss jumped so far, he nearly fell backwards out the window.

Luna stood in the now open doorway. "You! I thought _you_ learned your lesson a few years back? I can't _believe_ I've got to play guard as well as guardian to my kid sister."

"I-I …"

"You are either here to talk about your other idiot friends or you are in deep, deep, shit." Luna folded her arms across her chest.

"Yes…Xelloss and Gourry," Zel sighed.

"Well do me a favor and take it to the front room. You have fifteen more minutes then you'd better get your ass back home. Got it, bud?"

Zel got it. "Why does this keep happening to me…?" he muttered with a shake of his head. He followed Lina into the front room and folded up on the floor by the couch. "Lina, it's just that, Gourry's suspicious of Xelloss. He doesn't trust him spending all this time alone with you. He feels left out of your life. Xelloss…is absolutely…"

"He and I have a working relationship that's just fine. He's been acting…professional, actually. I'm sorry Gourry's messed up. I do value his friendship, Zel, and I don't want to hurt him or…anybody. _You_ get that, right? I want friends not romance…for now. _You_ get that…why can't _they_? I've said it loud and clear. If you can explain to me how the dense, male mind operates, then please do."

A tiny smile passed across Zel's face, and then he buried his face in his folded arms. "I cannot and will not attempt to speak for the entire male portion of the population, but…I know that…all they have to do is look at you and…they can't help themselves."

"Humph!" Lina punched him in the back. "So weak. Good thing you're around, huh? Maybe you can set an example of…"

"Ah, I have to go…Luna and all," Zel bounded up off the floor unexpectedly abrupt. "Sorry to have bothered you. Later…" And he was out the door before Lina had a chance to say goodbye.

"Yeah, later," Lina mumbled and set off to her room.

* * *

"Mr. Grauscherra will see you now," said the young vice principal with a smile.

"Yeah, ah…thanks," Gourry returned the smile with a nervous one of his own and ran his hand through his bangs. "I don't have any paper. Ya don't think I gotta write anythin', do I?"

"I'm certain he will lend you any supplies that you might need. But, really, relax. He just wants to meet you all face to face. That's all." Miss Sherra smiled again and gave him a little nudge on the elbow to head him toward the door.

"Okay, then," Gourry opened the door and stepped into the inner office. His entire academic career, he had made it a point never to have any reason to have to visit the principal's office. No good had ever come of one of his friends' visits. It was a bad business all around, from his point of view. "Hello?"

"Ah, hello to you too!" The shorter man looked up at Gourry and shook his offered hand. Gourry had been brought up to be very respectful. He might not be good with words, but he could fall back on polite behavior when he had to. "Please, have a seat. What can I get you to drink? Soda?"

"Ah…no, ah…thanks…sir." Gourry sat gingerly on the rickety chair offered to him imagining breaking it during his first meeting with the principal.

"So…let me see… Gourry Gabriev…" The principal scanned Gourry's records briefly. "Looks like you will be graduating this year, providing you pass all your current classes. Japanese, eh?"

"Huh? Ah, no… Norwegian." Gourry stared at the man a moment. What made him think he was Japanese?

Grauscherra paused a few ticks of the clock, then laughed aloud, "Ha, ha! Funny guy, aren't you? Well…" He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye with a fine linen handkerchief.

Gourry, fully flummoxed, just waited the man out. Surely, the man was nuts. He shook his head in wonder, when the white cloth snared his attention. His keen eyesight caught some detail and signaled his brain to take note. What was it about that monogram that he should recognize? Lina would know. Or Zel.

"So, you are taking Japanese 1 your senior year. What made you decide to take a language?"

"Ah…Xelloss, I think… and Lina and I guess Zel."

Grauscherra's eyes widened a bit. What did this guy have in common with those two? He couldn't imagine. "Xelloss and Lina…Inverse? Are they close friends of yours then?"

"Ah…he's Metal-um something, not Inverse. They're not related or nothin'. Ah…just thought you'd want to know… Um, ah… Lina wants us all ta go to Japan after graduation so he put us…" Gourry hesitated. Don't go there… "…up ta takin' the class together." There, that was a quick cover up.

"To Japan! That's quite costly, did you know that?"

Gourry nodded. He had a creeping sensation that this man was trying to pump him for information. Too bad. The Gabreiv well was a dry one. He could resist. "Oh, yeah? Well, it probably won't happen, then. Just a thought." Gourry gave the man a wide-eyed innocent smile like icing on the cake.

"I see…So they are close friends of yours?" Grauscherra pressed.

"Ah…we're all in a band together and do stuff…sometimes." Gourry knew anyone would know that about them, no secrets there.

"Sounds like fun. Who else is in the band?"

"Um…Amelia…the, ah…Mayor's daughter. Sylphiel from the big downtown shrine. Filia from…out, um…way off. Val…he, ah… lives with Zel and Xelloss…"

"Val? Val Gaav?"

"Ah…no, but I fergit what his name is now.

"I see, and Zel…you mean Zelgadiss Greywords?"

"Yeah." Gourry nodded and stared at his hands. "Um, anything else? I outta get back ta class."

Grauscherra seemed lost in thought and did not answer right away. "All of you are planning to go to Japan together?"

Gourry tried to think of a way to deny this and make it seem natural. He didn't know why, but he felt he had to. "Naw…too expensive, like ya say. Sylphiel just got Lina all excited 'bout it. She was there a bit in summer."

"Was she? Did she bring back any mementos?"

Gourry grinned, "Just a fiancée. But he's gone back now."

After one or two more attempts to glean information from the guy, Grauscherra gave up. This kid, the man decided, certainly wasn't up to anything, he could hardly put two logical thoughts together! "Well, it was nice meeting you, Gourry. Keep up the grades and I'll see you at graduation in June!"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Sir," Gourry smiled with a faint blush and dipped his head, leaving the office as quickly as possible. "Gotta tell Zel or Lina 'bout that handkerchief…" he thought to himself over and over…repeatedly so he wouldn't forget.

**_

* * *

From the Authors:_**

_Seyruun High Jinx now has a home! Ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Kaeru Shisho (Frog, anyway…rat's picture has already been up for a while)? No? Well, you can anyway now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. Hope to see you there! --KS_

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Eleven.


	12. CD Problem ?

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 12**

**'CD' Problem?**

Without missing a beat, Subaru said in a low voice, "I'd like to kill him." 

Filia looked past Subaru at Xelloss and laughed, "Wouldn't we all!"

* * *

"But I feel kind of bad about this," Amelia persisted. "I mean, that haircut—it's so unique! He's had it his whole life—there's that picture of him and—and poor Miss Hokuto on his desk when they were little!"

"That's just it," Lina pointed out. "It's not unique. One other person had the exact same haircut as he—and that person was his twin sister."

Amelia blanched. "Oh…oh, I'm so sorry I said anything! Understand now. Oh, how awful!"

"He looks into a mirror…and sees his twin," Xelloss mumbled. "Having your face be a constant reminder of tragedy…" To himself he added, "…and of the ever-present threat which comes from having the entire Chaotic Blue organization sniffing at your heels…"

"—Is no fun," Zel finished for him, curtly. If anyone knew, it was him. They were all visiting Subaru again. Maybe this time they could get the poor guy to talk, or even to smile—though the likelihood of that was pretty slim, he had to admit, being the realist. Subaru wasn't a normal person. Most people, even after such trauma, might be able to smile, to think of the future. But Subaru had been too pure, too trusting… He shook it off in a shudder. Zel didn't want to think about that any more than he had to, else Subaru's now grim visage haunt him…

They followed Xelloss to the correct room, getting strange looks (and one tentative 'hi' to Sylphiel by one young priest) from the few other resident priests who passed them in the halls, and knocked on the door.

When no one answered, they were at a loss. Where could he be?

Zel feared the worst. He was all for preemptively calling 911 and breaking down the door, when a lady with a vacuum cleaner noticed the third or fourth loud knock and call of 'Subaru! SUBARUUU!'

"Are you friends of that poor boy?" she asked them. She was a woman in her thirties or forties, with slightly, inadvertently pinkish perm-ed hair that looked like a wig and very big, clunky gold earrings that matched a bracelet that would've been good armor for sword-battle…

"Is he all right! What happened to him!" Lina grilled.

"Oh, he's fine…well, he's just as usual, if you know what I mean," she said.

"Yes," Zel nodded. "We know. We're here to see him. Can you tell us what happened?"

"Yes, yes, I was coming to that. He told me—I'm the shrine's housekeeper—that if his friends came for him, to tell you to wait for a little bit inside. He's out on a job, you see, but he thinks he'll be back very soon," she smiled, weakly.

"He's still working after all that's happened to him! What a dedicated and righteous young man!" Amelia cried.

"A workaholic, more like it," Val breathed, talking for the first time in a long while. He didn't know him very well—same with Filia—but he wanted to help, and they thought it would be good for him to see people.

"Sublimation," Lina differed with him quietly. Louder, she said, "Well, okay, then. Inside his room, did he mean?"

"Yes. I have the key—I'll let you in…but first you have to tell me your names, so I know you're not—well, for security, you know," the woman explained. "Here…I have them all written down..." she fished a list out of her pocket, never letting go of the vacuum that she had presumably been using to clean the carpeted floor of the hallways.

"Um…I'm Sylphiel…and my father's the head priest here."

"Of course, deary. I know you and your young man there," the housekeeper said with a nod to Xelloss. But rules are rules…"

"Naturally," agreed Amelia wholeheartedly. "Rules and laws are the basis of our justice system. It's the finest in all the land!"

"Just tell her yer name," Lina growled.

They told her, one at a time, and she was satisfied, "Yes, I'm sure that no one else in Seyruun has names like yours," she looked at Zel and Xel. She smiled. "Here, I'll let you all in. He said there's tea waiting for you, but I'm sure it's cold by now. I think it's so fine, what you kids are doing for him. It was such an awful, unfortunate thing to have happen to them—and they were so young, too! You're wonderful friends to try to help him through it. Now, he should be back soon. Have a nice day, kids," she left them.

Xelloss didn't even stick his nose into the room, nor did Zelgadiss.

"We can't all fit in that space standing up. Where do you suggest we wait?" Zel posed the question to either Sylphiel or Xelloss.

"I know, my place!" Sylphiel woke up.

Xelloss took the note Zel hastily scribbled and placed it on Subaru's bed. "There, shall we wait elsewhere then?"

Partway up the hall, past the other priest dormitory-style rooms, the Slayers marched. Zel stopped midway, causing Val to nearly run him down. "Whoa, dude! Warn me next time!"

"I heard …" he turned around and sure enough, Subaru had turned the key in his door lock. "He's back. Xelloss, why don't just you meet him and bring him along."

"O-kay, do-kay!"

Lina leaned toward Gourry "That cleaning woman looks familiar somehow."

Gourry, "She sure does get around."

"Eh? How do mean?"

"Last year when we got those shrines blown up…she was the housekeeper there too." He smiled and nodded his head. He remembered faces just fine. Just don't ask him the names!

Lina's face lit up, "Damn! You're right, Gourry" She pounded him on the back with a shout. "Auntie…Aqua… Funny she didn't remember us…"

Zel shook his head. "No, that…that wasn't her, I don't think. Not unless she de-aged about twenty years and dyed her hair some…"

"Come on!" Lina had no patience for this deliberating. "Let's go!"

Xelloss surprised Subaru with a tap to the shoulder. The frail-appearing boy jumped at the simple touch. "Ah!"

"Hello, Subaru. You didn't forget we were coming, did you?" Before Subaru was forced to make any admissions, Xelloss continued, "You probably just got hung up on your job, hmmm? Well, we have gathered over at Sylphiel's, so unless you need to go to your room…"

Subaru, gathering his wits finally, only shook his head and allowed Xelloss to lead the way.

"Hello, everybody…" Subaru sized up the large crowd of visitors he suddenly noticed had accumulated. He hadn't seen the full group as Xelloss had spirited him away to Sylphiel's place. Now, in her dining room, he looked very small, thin, and haggard, standing like a prisoner about to be executed in front of an expectant and blood-thirsty crowd. Zel was perceptive, and tried to remedy that situation.

"Here, I'm tired of standing. Let's all sit down…" he sent a freezing gaze around the group, and they followed his example with no argument.

"So…" Lina couldn't stay quiet for long, "how are you, Subaru? You had a job today, so you're still working?"

He nodded mechanically. "Yes. I have a responsibility to fulfill."

That was a conversation killer. But Subaru pretty much had that covered, these days. They did not let that impede their attempts at friendliness.

"What kind of job was it?" Amelia asked, innocently.

"A real estate company hired me," he answered. "I had to sanctify a house they could not put on the market." He did not elaborate.

"Well, I brought Filia to cut your hair!" Xelloss perked up. "She's the only person I trust with mine, and she's very gentle. I know you aren't very well acquainted, but…"

"Thank you," Subaru gave Filia a slight bow, which flattered her as much as it pained the others. He was still so horribly formal! Not that they thought this would change that, exactly…

"Oh, it's no trouble!" she smiled. "Actually, I like cutting hair, especially boys'—and **especially** such nice-looking ones'!" she tried her flirt out on him. He simply bore it as stoically as he would any other insult, with a polite nod and lack of expression.

They set up a chair with some newspapers underneath, and Sylphiel helpfully procured a towel to wrap around Subaru's shoulders. "Now," Filia asked, "is there anything in particular you want done with it?"

She needn't have asked. Subaru did not care in the slightest so long as it was "Anything…different."

"Okay…" Filia surveyed her challenge like a general planning the best mode of attack for the current landscape. It was too bushy, though not exactly long, but the back was strange, and there were those really eighties-looking forelocks over his ears! Those had to go. And his bangs could be thinned a little, too… She removed the silver scissors from her bag, as well as a little spray-bottle of water, and set to work.

…

Filia asked conversationally, "Anyway after we're all done here we thought we'd all go out to dinner someplace then…and not everyone is okay with this part, but then I thought we might check out the mall. Xelloss, of course, says he's not up to it, which of course he is. He's just trying to make my life more difficult. He can be so contrary, you know? So what would you like to do?"

Without missing a beat, Subaru said in a low voice, "I'd like to kill him."

Filia looked past Subaru at Xelloss and laughed, "Wouldn't we all!"

Zelgadiss caught that and wondered. He knew Subaru was not referring to Xelloss.

* * *

The next day they did a spotty run through of their set for the upcoming gig. It was their last practice date until Saturday. Everything was fine. While the guys were packing up and doing a final equipment check, Lina decided to discuss the near future.

She began by clearing her voice loudly, then announcing, "We _have_ to get a CD made. We need it to sell at concerts and we need one for the musical background. Agreed? Right, then the only time to do this is over breaks: Thanksgiving and winter break. Don't groan! We have no other time blocks! Anyway, I called Maaaa-cross Studios and it's tight but doable so I scheduled us in. Vaguely. We need to call and confirm the times, though. So...don't anyone go and plan vacation. Amelia!" Lina shouted.

"I've got the calendar!' Amelia cried.

Hoisting the large-format scheduler up for everyone to see took enough time for Xelloss to pull out his cell phone. As important events were being noted on the calendar, for instance: Winter Solstice Shrine and Clan activities, university and high school tests, club meetings, and other 'must do's,' Xelloss contacted the recording studios. By the end of a half hour, everything had been wedged in between a couple extended recording dates.

"Zel, call Zangalus. See if he and Martina are available as well. Might as well try and get their stuff on and they can double as roadies like they said they would for the upcoming gigs." Cutting off the groans from nearly everyone listening she added, "Hey, if he can't then we'll have to pay some studio clown to play sax. Besides, Martina has family in Atlas City we can crash with."

Ah...cost-cutting measures... Lina's specialty.

"Fine," Zel concurred. Although the sore throat bothering him after the pumpkin carving party was cleared up, he was feeling a bit under the weather. So, in an effort to conserve his vital energy, he capitulated and agreed to make the call without argument.

Xelloss tossed him his phone, "Be my guest!" Then to Lina he said, "I gave them the names of possible songs written by someone other than a Slayer..."

"The covers..." Val muttered.

"The studio will look into copyright agreements ahead of time if we want to record any of those," Xelloss finished.

"Sure, okay. What else?" Lina looked around for other input. "Next topic: new songs. I have a few ideas for the musical..."

"New songs?" Gourry repeated. "I don't know if we got time to learn new stuff, what with the weekend gigs and makin' CDs...and all." He wasn't crazy about the musical anyway.

"For the MUSICAL! Focus! We can do it!" Lina insisted.

Okay fearless leader, if you say so…

Gourry focused, and then remembered that he had something important to tell Lina and Zel. But what?

"Any you guys meet the new principal yet?" Lina asked while Zel checked his tuning again.

"Next week, toward the end…Friday, I think…I'd have to check to be sure now," Zel answered back. "I got a note chastising me for missing my last appointment. Idiots. They scheduled me in the morning when I'm at the university."

"I got one," Val grumbled. "Next week, early."

Ah…ha! Gourry's face brightened. "I had mine! There was something, I don't know…kinda weird about that guy. Oh yeah, he was friendly and all, but…what was it…?"

"What are you asking about!" Lina snapped. Sometimes her patience was worn too thin.

"Ah…um…Zel?" Gourry looked around for something to write on and to write with. "Do ya have any paper?"

Val pulled his little notebook out of his pocket and offered it to Gourry. "You can use any empty page at the end…"

"Uh, thanks…" Gourry took Zel's mechanical pencil and started to draw. "I don't remember it real good, but it looked like this." He scribbled some more, then stopped as Lina jostled his elbow.

"What's that?"

Xelloss leaned in over Lina's head and let out an audible gasp, then asked breathlessly, "Where did you…find that?"

"That Gross-guy…the principal, pulled out a handkerchief and I saw it sewn on the corner."

"Grauscherra had that on…?" Xelloss repeated.

"Looks like a syndicate symbol, doesn't it?" Zel interrupted excitedly.

While Xelloss nodded mutely, lips pressed together in a tight line, Gourry bobbed his head saying, "Made me think of those rubbings I'd done of our sword handles and all."

"I knew that guy gave me the creeps," Lina muttered. "Good job Gourry!" She smacked him on the back for good measure.

Gourry accepted it as a 'love pat'…of sorts.

Filia squinted. "Let me see that…Could be clan. Well, it could! Gourry's drawing isn't so far from looking like this." She held out her pendant for all to see. The Cephied Believers might also embroider scarves, napkins, handkerchiefs with the symbols. I'll ask mom and dad about him tonight."

Zel caught Xelloss' eyes briefly. Obviously, he was of another opinion. "Any other observations?"

But Xelloss shook his head and retreated back to his drum set. He had not wanted to delve into Grauscherra's identity. He hadn't wanted to be beholden to any syndicate members for the information, but now he was considering a bit of internet snooping.

"Since I got the next appointment," Val said. "I'll just ask the dude if he's clan."

"I dunno," Gourry said. "He tried to…I think he was tryin' ta get information about us…ya know the Slayers. He thought I was Japanese, but I said I was just takin' the class 'cause Lina wanted ta go to Japan. Then he got real interested in who was goin'. And when I said something 'bout 'Zel' and 'Val', he asked if I meant _Val Gaav_ and …he knew yer whole name, Zel. He got Lina's kinda messed up with Xelloss', but… I got kinda suspicious so I changed the story some sayin' it probably's too expensive for us all ta go and…I said it wasn't Gaav, but I didn't know yer name. I don't think he'll figure you ta be the guy I meant."

"For not sayin' much, you told him a lot," Lina remarked, eyes narrowed. "But, nothin' he couldn't get from anyone who knows us probably. That means, Val, don't say anything that'll draw attention to you. 'Course I'm sure the records have yer old name on them as well as…What Xelloss?"

"I said…I cleaned them up. The Gaav name is completely gone, past and present. It's as if he enrolled as Val Agares…"

"A-gaaareees, yeah…that's the name," Gourry chuckled.

Xelloss frowned slightly at the interruption. "From the start of high school on."

"Why did you…" began Zelgadiss.

"What made you do that?" Lina shouted, overriding Zel's question with her own.

"I asked him to," Val interceded on Xelloss' behalf. "I had so much trouble gettin' them ta even make the change for the class rosters that…I asked Xelloss ta fix the rest fer me. He and I have…IS-SUES with the record keepin' bein' done. They got stuff on us they have no business havin' so…we got rid of it. There now, that's that. I don't wanna hear nothin' more about it."

"Oh, Mr. Xelloss! You broke into the school records and changed…If you get caught, you will be in…" Amelia started to chastise him.

"Deep shit," Val said. "So don't none of ya say nothin'. We were keepin' it a secret until…this other thing. Now just fergit it, 'kay?"

"But you could both be jailed! You're both over eighteen!" Amelia continued. "You broke the law!"

"I'll break yer jaw…" Val threatened.

"That's E-NUFF!" Lina bellowed. "Nobody's breakin' nothin' but me, got that! We didn't hear anything except that Xelloss helped out Val…which is a good thing. And…that this new principal may be more than just another pretty face…"

"He is rather good looking," Filia yawned.

"You think so too?" Sylphiel exclaimed. "I think his eyes are dreamy. And he wears such nice suits."

"Oh dear gods…" Lina muttered as she sank to the floor.

Gourry handed Lina her open, unfinished soda. "Here, maybe this'll help."

"Huh? Oh, yeah…Thanks Gourry." Lina took a swig and looked around. Zelgadiss was smoothing out Amelia's ruffled feathers and Filia was assuring Val that Grauscherra wasn't _that_ good looking. Xelloss appeared a bit wan and quiet, but he had been that way all day. Yeah focus. They needed to focus on their music and not let this other stuff force them onto other tangents. "Okay, guys…we all set for the gig Saturday? When do we meet here?" Lina waited for their correct replies. "Right, now I got lots of work to do. Time to go."

However, it was the _focusing_ that was getting more and more difficult for some members of the band to do! In some cases, humor was drying up, and like kindling, a spark of wit could set off a fire of explosive intensity. It was no wonder that Xelloss' continued interactions with Lina distracted Gourry. Like the next day…

"So, would you like to stop for ice cream on the way?" Xelloss asked Lina.

They had had lunch at school with their friends and now were heading to Lina's house to work on their musical.

"Nah. It's too nice to be inside. Let's go to the park and work."

"Okay," Xelloss smiled and deftly relieved her of the bulk of her books. "Lead on."

It was unseasonably warm in the valley. Trees still hung onto their partially green leaves and it was well into fall. Warm and dry. Lina was quiet, introspective. She and Gourry had had a nice visit the other day. He was really knowledgeable about building, she learned, as he showed her around Kiki's house. He was overseeing finishing work on the interior. The workmen respected him, despite his youth. She felt admiration for her friend, for accomplishing so much. He worked hard to get what he had, and everything he did meant more to him because of that. She nearly melted under his warm gaze when he dropped her off at her house that day. What the hell was up with that? Of course, he was so steady…so sure…so mature.

Xelloss smiled and hummed a tune he had stuck in his head. He had been spending a lot of time searching for additional music for the musical. Particular ones like 'Black Magic Woman' and 'Do You Believe In Magic?' Now he had them running endlessly over and over... Both were so lost in their own private worlds that they didn't notice the cooling breeze bringing clouds and damp air. So preoccupied was he, that Xelloss had to skip adroitly around Lina to avoid running her down when she stopped abruptly.

She had planted herself in front of the entrance to the park, hand on her hips. "I want you to show me exactly where Hokuto died."

"Okay...this way." He knew better than to ask 'are you sure?' Lina hated condescending people as much as people second-guessing her.

There was nothing special about the short stretch of turf beneath the trees where duplicitous Seishirou murdered the vivacious Hokuto. Lina wrapped her arms around herself whether because she felt a chill or for protection it wasn't clear. "...so unfair..." she muttered.

Xelloss stepped closer to listen to Lina's whispered words. He shivered slightly.

"She was so...full of hopes and dreams and he...was..."

"Full of nothing," Xelloss supplied. "No feelings at all."

"What do you know about him?" Lina clamped onto his arm so hard it hurt.

"Nothing much!" Xelloss squeaked and gently loosened her grip. "Well, a little...some..." He felt a headache coming on. Too bad.

"Tell me."

"Well, I know why he was a veterinarian." He paused and Lina dug in her nails. "He used the animals as test subjects...for syndicate poisons and...all. He really must not have had any feelings at all to do something like that to poor innocent animals. Especially when Subaru obviously loved them."

Lina nodded. "Poor Hokuto. I wonder how much she figured out about the guy before agreeing to meet him...here...in the middle of the night. You know why she kept pushing her brother into...acknowledging feelings for Seishirou?"

"I was wondering about that. Most girls wouldn't wish a gay relationship on their worst enemy, much less their own brother. Or...so it seems to me..."

"Yeah, well I don't know about that, but we were talking about Subaru once, and she told me about how...reserved, no that's not strong enough..."

Xelloss suggested, "Totally inhibited? Emotionally suppressed to the extreme, perhaps?"

"Yeah, his job, or calling, whatever…is the only contact he had outside of Hokuto. She was at her wit's end trying to come up with ways to get him out and meet new people. She had hoped S...Seishirou, who seemed to have a sincere attachment to her brother, could help. Ha! Some help!" She scoffed. Lina wasn't laughing.

"He's more repressed than ever now..."Xelloss said quietly.

"A-and now she's...she's...gone," Lina's voice cracked. "It's...not...f-fair..."

She turned and fell into Xelloss' arms, crying painfully. Now that was unexpected! Lina in his arms was...wonderful, but with her crying, it was miserable. With more effort than was anticipated, he moved her to the swings and pulled her onto his lap, letting her divest herself of all that pent up grief.

Gourry left the school parking lot after Japanese, mind on his task list. He picked up several rolls of flooring from the hardware store and headed onto Kiki's house. Doing this would save money and time on delivery costs. Looks like it might rain, he noted glancing at the sky, breathing the damp air. He took pleasure in the thought that the house was nearly done, before the rains would mess up the work. Some landscapers would be rolling out new turf in another few days, and now that the heavy machinery was gone, it would be safe from damage. Let it rain, then.

He drove past Lina's. He wondered if Xelloss was there too. His hands molded into the steering wheel and he clutched it harder. The first few drops fell.

Another turn and he was nearing the park. Kids playing... What was that? Far off at the swing? It was then that he realized what he just witnessed. He saw the unmistakable hair, brilliant red and deep purple. She was snuggling in his arms on the swing. Lina. H-his...dear Lina. Gourry stepped on the gas and sped on. Away from the scene, the worst sort he could imagine, being played out in plain view. Tears stung at his lids. He pressed the rough ball of a fist across one, wiping it dry. Why **him**?

Then the sky opened up and it began to pour.

With the first pat of moisture on his head, Xelloss knew he'd have to find them shelter fast. The bandstand. It wasn't far. They'd have to make a run for it. And his headache was starting to throb in time with his heartbeat. Damn, he didn't feel much like moving, much less running. "Lina, it's starting to rain."

Her face buried in his shoulder muffled her voice, "I don't care."

He smiled, "Naturally, you're dry now. We're not dressed for a rain storm, you know."

"Don't care."

Xelloss sighed. He didn't want to get sopping wet! "I'll carry you then," he muttered. He exerted himself, kicking the swing forward and back a little. He used the momentum to give him the boost needed to help lift himself and Lina off the swing. Up, he stood heavily, balancing first, and then strode as quickly as possible over to the bandstand. His head was pounding now.

"What are you doing?" Lina lifted her head and pounded him on the back.

"Getting out of the rain." Stomp, stomp, mush, mush...

"Put me down!" she insisted, pounding harder.

He stopped. "Okay."

He set her down and she kicked him, yelling, "I didn't say you could do that!"

"No?" He raised a bemused eyebrow. "I'm heading for cover." He walked off, leaving her to fume alone, her anger unrequited.

He reached the covered bandstand first, removed his shirt and used it to damp-dry his dripping hair. He blinked a few time. "Damn," he muttered under his breath. "Migraine…" Lina slopped along at her own unhurried pace, becoming thoroughly drenched in the process.

"I hate this," she griped. She hugged her bare arms and grumbled a bit more. "It wasn't supposed to rain."

"Cold?" he smiled, barely.

"Yes."

"I'd do anything for you," Xelloss struck a comical pose, "even give you the shirt off my back." He dangled his damp shirt toward her.

"What good is that? It's all wet!" She frowned, batting it away, but then the corners of her mouth turned up. "Idiot..."

Honk, Honk!

"Huh?" Lina twisted around and squinted through the gently falling rain. "A ride! Come on!"

Xelloss followed Lina to the waiting truck. Gourry reached over and opened the door, "Like a ride home?" he asked.

Lina hopped in, "You bet! Great timing! This idiot got me stuck out in the rain!"

Xelloss hesitated. If he got in, Lina would be crushed up against Gourry, that and Gourry would feel obliged to drive him home as well, which out of his way. "No thank you. Take her home, Gourry. I...I'll pay dad a visit. Zelgadiss keeps a change of clothes there. I'm sure he won't mind."

Before Gourry could figure out who 'dad' was, Xelloss was gone.

Lina sighed, "Perfect timing. We weren't gonna get much done anyway..." She went on to give Gourry a brief rundown of her thoughts on Hokuto and her day. He came to understand that Xelloss had not been on the receiving end of a romantic gesture but of one of heartache. Well, that was better. He was glad now that he'd turned back when the rain started.

"Wanna come in and have some...pie or whatever?" she asked as they reached her house.

"Ah, sure...but I gotta load to drop off so I can't stay."

"Oh yeah? Okay, can I watch?"

"At the house? Yeah, it's safe."

"Good. Lemme change clothes. You get the pie and milk...glasses...whatever and we'll eat it there." Lina disappeared into her room.

A few minutes later they settled into a quiet corner of the empty house to snack. It was nice and quiet, except for the pounding of nails and shouts of the other workmen. It would have been nicer if Gourry'd remembered to pack forks and napkins. Lina couldn't help but note to herself that Xelloss would have packed them, and a tablecloth too.

Mrs. Shearer, the live-in housekeeper at Rezo Greyword's house opened the door to an insistent knocking. "Oh, my goodness! Xelloss, why are you all wet? Rain? Well, I guess. I wasn't at the delicatessen today. Been cleaning. Haven't been out except to take the professor to his office this morning. It was nice out then...well, hurry on in...Silly me...gabbing on while you're standing out in the rain..."

"Thank you, Mrs. Shearer." Xelloss smiled through a shiver. "Zelgadiss has a room here, right?"

"Guest room in front."

"Thanks. I'll be a few minutes." he excused himself and departed to the guest room. Yes, sweats and a t-shirt, a Zelgadiss uniform. He was shivering.

"I put fresh towels in the bath, Xelloss. Why not take a good hot bath and Ill fix you some hot tea."

That sounded good. "Okay!"

"Here," Mrs. Shearer said as she pushed a steaming mug across the table. She gave him a good look over, then remarked, "You look a little blue."

"Umm? No, I'm okay…I mean, well, some...I guess so."

"That awful girl-- and I'm sorry to speak of a young person that way but I can't help it I just don't care for her– she's not forcing you...into marriage or something. Ah! Don't look at me like that, young man! I was young once to and I was considered to be quite a catch. Boys were after me all the time. I know all the tricks. You are far too good for her sort."

Xelloss set down his cup and smiled weakly. "Oh, sure...too good. No, it's not her, exactly. There _is_ this other one, though." He sighed significantly. "She says she's not ready for a boyfriend, then she gives me different signals and I...get hopeful, then I just don't know. I don't seem to get anything right, but then I don't get many opportunities to meet girls and..."

"Things will look up, that I can tell you. Why don't you stay for dinner?"

"Thank you, but...no. Zelgadiss and I have a lab to go to. I'd better call him to pick me up here..."

"Eat first. I'll call him. You eat. You look pale. Have you got a temperature? Let me see...Ah! Just as I thought, your forehead's burning up. You go to bed right now. I will deal with that brother of yours. Now git!"

Xelloss suddenly felt too weak to argue. He stood and staggered to the guest room, ripping off the hot sweat shirt and pants along the way. Bed in sight, he lunged forward, and collapsed on the counterpane. With an effort, he managed to slide his legs under the covers.

"H-Hello? Mrs. Shearer?" Zelgadiss 'scratchy throat caught and his blood pressure notched up a bit. She _never_ called him. "Is...my father all right? Oh, that's fine then... _Xelloss_? All right. Tell him not to worry. I'll stop by this evening after the lab. Thanks. Bye."

Lina picked up the jangling phone later that evening. "Yeah?"

"Lina? Hi, it's me!"

"Yeah, got it!" Lina shouted to her older sister in the kitchen.

"Amelia, what's up?"

"Everything… and… almost nothing."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lina asked.

"Zelgadiss…"

"Don't get me started with _that_ guy now…" Lina groaned.

"No, it's good!" Amelia reassured her friend. "He's taking me out to dinner and see a film at the University on my birthday…and a drive…" she added dreamily.

"What?" Lina choked out. She sat up in bed put down the book she was trying to read simultaneously. "Zelgadiss asked you out…on a date?"

"Yes. See he had to wait until daddy said I could and I'll be sixteen and he trusts Zelgadiss to get me back before midnight. Ooooh! I can't wait!"

"This is _Zel_ we're talking about?" Lina was mulling over the worrisome thought: 'Zel dating'.

"Lina! Haven't you been listening?" Amelia sounded mock-hurt over the phone. "Yes, Zelgadiss. The cute guy who plays guitar in our band. The one you've known for forever. Zelgadiss. Zel…ga…diss…"

"Yeah, yeah, Zel. I got it. Wow, I didn't think…he'd ever do something like that…" Lina's voice drifted off.

"What do you mean? You make it sound like he broke the law or something. He's eighteen soon! He's nearly done with high school! Why shouldn't he want to date someone? And why not me!" Amelia was getting a bit mad at her friend. She expected a little more support and excitement out of Lina than this!

Lina sighed, "Whoa… No, ya got me wrong here, Amelia. It's just that he…puts up this aloof façade so well I guess I believed he didn't care about anyone." She recovered a bit. "Well, I'm glad it's you he asked. You sure have put a lot of effort into getting him to notice you. A whole year, in fact!"

"Yes," Amelia sighed again. "I've been floating every day since…he asked me. But…"

"But? Don't tell me there's a catch?" Lina wondered.

"A big one, Miss Lina. I'm gonna miss it…the _whole_ thing!" she cried into the phone.

"Huh? Why's that?"

"We'll be at that Macross Studio over Thanksgiving weekend!"

Lina relaxed, "Oh…hey, that's not so bad, is it? There's plenty of stuff going on in Atlas City all the time. You'll just do something else special. You can do the other when you get back. See! There, two dates!"

"Wow! Oh, Miss Lina, that's great! Thanks! I'm sure he'll agree!"

"Yeah, have Xelloss look into Atlas City. He owns a restaurant there Filia was raving about. Oh, no…not to him, of course. But whatever it was, she had a terrific time. Yeah, and be sure to have Xelloss do the convincing with Zel. Don't _you_ go and plan your own birthday date, okay? Good. Well, I gotta go. Yeah, I gotta do some reading, bye. Yeah, sure…my pleasure!"

"Bye! And thanks bunches, Miss Lina!"

Lina hung up her phone and stared at it thoughtfully, before returning to her _Rules of the Road _guide to the driving laws of Seyruun. Zel, huh?

**_

* * *

From the Authors:_**

_Seyruun High Jinx now has a home! Ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Frog? No? Well, you can anyway now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. Hope to see you there! --KS_

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Twelve.


	13. Zel Does His Karma Good

Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!

Chapter 13

Zel Does His Karma Good

"This outta be called the DM**Z** not the DM**V**!" -- Lina

* * *

Zelgadiss kept his word and stopped by his father's house that evening after chemistry lab. Mrs. Shearer let him in whispering as they marched to the guest room, "He's been asleep since he got into bed. I didn't have the heart to wake him to eat."

"I won't wake him," Zelgadiss promised in a quiet voice, then stepped into the room. Light from the hall shone dimly. He could just make out the prone form of his friend partially under a sheet. He tip-toed over and placed a hand on his forehead. Hot. Returning to the hall he asked for a damp washcloth and a glass of water.

"I'll open the window an inch or two and roll him over. He needs to cool down... and drink some water if he wakes up."

"Yes, I mopped at him earlier, then he turned over, poor boy. I'll take care of him, don't you worry now. You scoot on home and get yourself some rest. You don't look so well yourself."

"I've been fighting a cold all week. It's been going around at the pool, but I am improving. All right. I could use the extra sleep. Promise me something?" Zel waited for her to agree, then said, "Don't let him get up in the morning. Make him stay in bed all day. And if Lina stops by in the afternoon, don't let her stay more than a few minutes. Mostly, don't let him get up and wear himself out."

"Yes, doctor!" The housekeeper frowned, then smiled as they re-entered the front room. "Those were precisely my thoughts as well. I won't let him move out of the hallway." She folded her arms and looked askance as if she were about to tell a great secret. In a near-whisper, she added, "I took his clothes. All of them. In the laundry. He won't be going out, not without getting past me."

"There are spares in the closet."

"Got them, too. I'm well aware of what's where, young man. Now," she drew herself up and checked her watch. "It's getting late. You need your rest and I have to get the professor to his office early in the morning..."

"So Xelloss won't be guarded then?" Zel asked. "Father!" He called to Rezo who was following the sound of their voices into the room.

"You don't have to shout. My hearing is excellent. Now, what's the problem?" Rezo asked.

"I don't want Xelloss to wake up and try to escape. He needs to rest and get well. We have a gig Saturday night and another next weekend and we have no subs. What time do you need to be at the University in the morning? I go in at 7:45 for class."

Rezo nodded curtly, "I'll be ready at 7:30. Stop by the office when you go back to the high school and drop me off here. That will be a long enough day for me."

"You sure? I could pick you up after school...about four?"

"No. I prefer missing the department meeting. Eleven forty-five?"

"Fine." Zel said his good nights and left.

"You!" Mrs. Shearer shook her head at Rezo after Zel had left the house. "You haven't spoken to each other for days and when you do… What was it? Five words! Less than a minute…"

"I'd say at least forty words…" Rezo began to correct her.

Ignoring him, the woman continued, "… with that boy, your son! Neither one of you show an ounce of warmth sometimes. And he's such a good boy."

"Of course he is. He's a Greywords. Strong men, Greywords are. They don't need the delicate handling that...that one in there needs." Rezo pointed in the direction of the guest room. "Besides, he cares about his friends. I've seen him."

"But does he have a girlfriend? That's the test of whether or not you've raised a hard-hearted son. Can he share his heart with another? I never see him with a special girl or hear him tell of one."

"Not like that Xelloss boy, no. Zelgadiss is a late bloomer. He's got his mind on college, serious matters. Girls will come later, after he's made a career for himself," Rezo assured the woman.

"Humph!" She snorted in disagreement. "He's ready now. I can tell. I know better about these things. Like that other boy in there...a-lyin' there all heartsick over some silly thing. I will have to take over, I can see. I pick out two nice girls...invite them all over for...cards and some refreshments. They get to meet some good girls and go have some fun once and awhile. Not study and work all the time! They're young! They should have some fun! Oh yes...and study too, yes you are right...they need balance. Always balance. Moderation in all things! That's what Apollo's oracle said. Did you know that? Oh, well...those Greeks they knew a thing or two about life!"

And so the two very different but oddly companionable people chatted on a short while longer that evening, while Xelloss slept the sleep of an angel-- safe and cared for.

The next afternoon, Mrs. Shearer opened the front door with a friendly, "Hello, dear. You coming to check on the patient? That's nice. Come on in. I just took him a cup of my special chicken soup so I know he's awake. Been sleeping all day, poor thing..."

"Oh...yeah? But is he okay now?" Lina asked as she followed her down the hall to the guest room.

"Poor thing...Heartsick he is. Oh, yes, his temperature broke this morning, but the healing... It will take time."

Lina rolled her eyes. Heartsick, my foot! He'd better be up and ready to play a starting and closing set tomorrow!

Mrs. Shearer gave Lina a hard look. "You can't stay but a few minutes. And don't get him all worked up. He's to stay put tomorrow too. Leave the door open. I'll be by with some drinks in a moment."

Lina was not accustomed to taking orders, but agreed to the rules. She only needed a few minutes.

"Hey," she greeted the pale-faced Xelloss. He was seated upright in bed with several pillows at his back and sipping soup from a mug. His chest was bare, revealing his scars and an unhealthy sheen. She found a chair, rather than sit on the bed. She wasn't about to get close enough to catch his nasty cold...or whatever he had.

"Lina, how nice!" Xelloss set the mug on the bedside table next to an empty glass sprouting a chewed straw. "I'd get up, but she won't let me. She's taken all my clothes."

Lina looked away grumbling, "I didn't want to know that."

Changing the subject nimbly, Xelloss asked, "I've been searching for some particular songs for the musical, Want to hear a few? I have a CD I burned a few days ago in my book bag...over there."

And when she hesitated, he added, "Oh, don't worry, I took the photos out!"

Lina blushed, "Idiot..." Then to prove that she wasn't hung up about it, or anything, she opened his bag and found the disk. "This?"

"Uh, huh...and the player's at the bottom. Hope the batteries aren't dead."

Lina slipped in the CD, put on the headphones and listened. While she was skipping to the next song, Mrs. Shearer stepped in with a tray. Xelloss cleared a spot on the table, and when her hands were free, handed her back the empty mug and glass with a polite, "Thank you."

Seeing as they were remaining quiet together, the housekeeper left them alone. The young lady could stay to eat, and then she would have to go, she decided.

"Ah, Xelloss...this stuff is...ugh..." Lina moaned her dislike. "Not right. The musical needs something different. And NOT 70's pop music!"

"But it's about magic!" He whined. "'Do you believe in maaaa-gic? In a young girls' heart...how the magic can free her, whenever it starts... And its maaa-gic, when the music is groovy...Makes me feel special like an old-time movie...'"

"Stop singing!" Lina shouted, and then lowered her voice abruptly. "You'll have the old woman after me, kickin' me out for gettin' ya all ...stirred up!"

"It's a fun song. I like it." Xelloss said sulkily.

"Yeah, well I don't. It's too...Who uses words like 'groovy' now anyway? Too dated."

Undaunted, he began to sing again, "I gotta Black Magic woman..."

Only to be shot down again. "No! It's a cool song but not the right kinda...sound I'm lookin' for." She could see that he was unhappy and not to be reasoned with, and so, she dropped the topic for the moment. "We gotta concert tomorrow night. You gonna be able to play? I gotta know. 'Cause, if ya can't I gotta find someone to replace ya, and that won' be easy...if it's even possible. Have to skip your solo numbers fer sure. 'Course...we can toss in the new ones...Gourry's is close enough..."

"I'll be ready to play. I just need another day to rest and I'll be okay in the evening."

"Yeah? Yer sure, huh? Great, then...that's a load off, ya know? Hey, these are great cookies she makes, think I can get a few more?"

"You can ask, but I warn you, she'll probably send you home with them," Xellossassured her. He didn't want Lina to leave. Regardless of the fact that he knew he looked terrible and in spite of their disagreement over the music, he really craved the company--her company.

"Gotta go anyway," she said hopping up from the chair. "Take care of yourself. See ya later, then!"

"Don't go... Okay… Goodbye, Lina. I'll be ready, like I promised, tomorrow."

* * *

They opened for the Suzaku Seven just like they had all summer, but this time the crowd didn't seem to need warming up—many had come to hear to Slayers perform. The entire concert went without a hitch, but that didn't mean they didn't give a collective sigh of relief when it was over. It had been awhile since they had been in front of a live, and very vocal, audience.

"That was some fun, eh?" Lina grinned over at Gourry and Zel.

They were wiping down their guitars and settling them away carefully into their cases at the end of the evening—their usual winding down time—when a stranger appeared.

"Yep!" Gourry smiled. "Good crowd."

Zel nodded.

The stranger flitted in and amongst them, asking them questions from time to time, some rather personal.

"Um, you are… Who?" Gourry stopped the guy about to grill Lina.

"Dylan Trypich, reporter with _Who's News_? Ah, you know… we cover the music news and all, here's my ID. So… what would you like to do when you grow up, ah…Gourry Gabriev?" The man smiled and reached for his tape recorder.

Gourry remained calm and found the reporter's questions to be trivial. No 'in-depth' searches to guard their past from.

Sylphiel, Filia and Amelia took turns lightly chatting with the reporter all the while rushing to pack up and leave the hall. Tomohome had warned them that their fan base was growing and that they would have to face them sooner or later, tired or not, so better get their equipment packed safely before being swamped. Zelgadiss couldn't believe it would happen to them, but followed his advice anyway. The sooner he and Xelloss were home and asleep, the better.

"Zelgadiss?" Xelloss called, exhaustion apparent in his voice.

Zel focused one eye his way.

"Subaru…he really needs some company tonight. I'll have the van drop me at the shrine."

"Good idea," Zel agreed. "Might as well stay the night too. He'll appreciate the…" Zel noticed that the reporter was listening and dropped the subject.

Xelloss wandered over and draped an arm over Zel's shoulder, "Thanks."

Zel shrugged off the arm, "Sure. If you need a ride back. Call. You promised to spend some time with me studying for the chem test and the lab write-up…"

"You are so demanding," Xelloss smirked. "And funny!"

"What was that?" Xelloss turned to the reporter who had been querying Lina and sighed. His body was aching with the effort of playing drums for the last few hours. Although the flu had passed, he wasn't up to full strength. He listened seriously to the man and suffered his interrogation stoically.

Val had been helping Xelloss with his drums and now, done, was anxious to leave. He brushed off most of the reporter's questions after answering a few shallow ones. "I got no time fer chattin' I gotta get out ta the settlement."

Lina, usually loquacious to the extreme when it came to talking up the band to the press, answered the man's one-dimensional queries in a mostly scattered manner when a bunch of determined fans worked their way backstage demanding autographs. Both boys and girls in ages ranging from twelve to twenty-something mobbed the Slayers kids, cutting off the 'interview' entirely. After several minutes, the concert hall called in their meager security guard to clear the building. That had been a surprise, and a thrill!

The gig the next day went much the same-- another fan attack thrill. So _thrilling_, that Lina cancelled their Monday practice. There was also another reason, as Zel was to discover.

* * *

Monday at lunch…

Val had not yet made it to the lunch table by the time Xelloss and Zelgadiss took their seats. Apparently he was still in his interview with Principal Grauscherra.

Lina caught Zel's attention with a well-placed jab to the shoulder and said, "I wanna get my driver's permit today and no one can take me. You have time after school?"

Without thinking, the poor kid nodded his head automatically, then, as the information sank in he raised his eyes in despair. Oh dear gods…what was he thinking! The DMV… The lines…the waiting…the remarkably stupid, inane, mind-numbing questions—personal questions! The possibilities for Lina going ballistic were too numerous to ignore. And he, Zelgadiss the Superior Glutton for Punishment, had enlisted VOLUNTARIALLY for the mission. Oh, gods…oh joy…

He met Gourry's sympathetic blue eyes. "Ah…that's great, Zel, um… I woulda, ya know, but I got ta finish up work on that house any time we don't gotta do band stuff. I can't get outta it."

"Sure." Zel did not even try to let him off the hook.

Lina accepted the man at his word. "Great. Glad I could count on ya for this trifling thing. Won't take but ten minutes, right?"

He could not let her think that rubbish. "Off by an hour or two. Bring a book—two!-- plus all your homework…and a snack. Better pick up something now while the snack bar's still open." Zel opened his mystery sandwich and pretended to be interested in it.

"It's true," Sylphiel interceded on Zel's behalf before Lina could argue. "I spent an hour waiting for a form and then…you wouldn't believe it but…I was in the wrong line! And I had to get a paper from school proving that I was enrolled and had to go back another day!"

"Yeah, I got that. You told us about that last year. I got the address stuff and guardian stuff and everything," Lina groused. She was irritated that a huge hunk of her precious time was about to be cut out by 'the system'. "Well, I got Zel ta keep me entertained, right?"

"Perhaps you should go with Xelloss, if that is what you expect of me," Zel smirked. He knew she didn't want to go with the chaos kid. She wanted the organization man for this job.

Xelloss, however already had his own excuse, "As much as I would love to help, I have a previous engagement. Sorry." He smiled.

"Of course," Zel sighed.

"Really!" Xelloss assured him. He lowered his voice and said, "You know I wouldn't give up a chance to aid a damsel in distress, especially a Lina one."

"Oh do I?" Zel asked archly. "Even an especially incendiary object disguising itself as a girl? I don't think so. Only an absolute lunatic would agree to … Gah!"

"What did you call me?" Lina pounded him on the head with a book.

"He called himself a lunatic," Gourry smiled. "You, he called a girl."

That wasn't exactly what she thought she'd heard but she had been absorbed in eating her and Gourry's tater tots and may have misunderstood. Probably that. Gourry never lied.

"A hot girl." Xelloss giggled, much to Zel's dismay.

"Well, my fans sure think so, don't they?" Lina perked up. "That was some fun playin' those concerts last weekend, huh? Which reminds me…" She paused while Val fell into his chair with a snarl, groan, and rattle of chains. "About the musical music. We gotta make a CD of that stuff so we don't haveta play at the performances. I mean, we can't act _and_ play, can we?"

"ACT!" Zel, Val and Gourry sputtered, growled, and choked.

"And sing and dance…" Xelloss added casually.

"WHAT!"

"How fun!" chimed in Amelia and Filia.

"Well, Zel…" Lina's ruby gaze burned through his scull. "Who would you rather have play out your part…say your lines... Swing your sword?"

"I…" he sighed knowing how lame he must sound. "…don't know…I hadn't thought about it actually."

"We gotta learn lines, Lina? Ya know, I don't memorize stuff like that fast," Gourry said. He was working hard not to break down and whine.

"Don't worry. I got ya covered!" Lina grinned and slapped him on the back triumphantly. "Now, about the music. The musical is a period piece. That means its set in the past…medieval. So I want medieval-type music. That means I need a different sound to add to our stuff. Bass is fine. Drums…fine but different. Keyboards…some synthesized strings or oboes or something. Guitar, acoustic, Zel. And then something else. Flutes, lutes…"

"…How different?" Xelloss was muttering.

"Oboe? OBOE!" Val groused.

Now everyone in the band was talking at once. At Lina. Or defending Lina. Not overly angry shouts, but concerned and confused ones. Lina barely said a thing. Her eyes darted up when a new face appeared over Zelgadiss' shoulder.

The newcomer waved shyly, "Um…Hi."

Lina nodded and made a gesture for the guy to give her a minute. She sighed and then just waited her band members out, letting their chatter run its course. Then, and only then, did Lina open her mouth to speak.

"Yes? Can't you see we're havin' a band discussion here?" she shot at the stranger waiting patiently behind Zelgadiss.

Zel jumped to see who Lina was speaking to, only to find that the strange young man had already stepped away and was rounding the table closer to where Lina was seated.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear you…" he looked to both sides smiling. The entire cafeteria had their attention riveted on the activity at Lina's table. "I mean, you weren't exactly keeping this quiet…."

"Don't they have lives?" Lina muttered, eyes narrowing. "So what's your point? I ain't got all day here."

"Neither do I—lunch is almost over." He gazed at the clock, as if gauging his time-slot. "I'm Bobby Chaplin, and I've got a band…"

"Didn't see you at the battle of the Bands contest," Lina was trying to ditch this obvious loser by being curt and snappish. It didn't work.

"Yeah, those stupid coordinators wouldn't let us in, said it was 'rock-type bands only,' that a band with too different a sound would either have an unfair advantage or disadvantage--"

"'Different'?" Lina caught on. "How different?" though she thought she knew the answer. "What kind of music do you play?"

"Folk," he grinned. "Celtic, Nordic, Israeli, Spanish, as well as RPG video game music, anime stuff, original tunes…" he pushed his curly brown hair behind his ears, and resettled his strange, floppy black hat. "You see, I play harp."

That probably did it. Lina knew that fate had drug in an unlikely-looking, but potentially perfect opportunity. The kid was loaded down with glasses and a few extra pounds, a lumpy coat, a very un-stylish vest, and pants that were cut off (with scissors, presumably) before they reached his ankles. Truthfully, he looked like a street-scamp out of a Dickens novel, if Dickens had written about gamer-nerds… But, nerd or not, he had something that he wanted… "Harp, eh? Is that so? Your name is Bobby…I don't think I know ya."

"He was in our composition class last year," Zelgadiss offered. He would not forget such an odd duck, though he never paid him any mind; he always seemed sort of trivial and tedious before, with some sort of axe to grind, always. But he played harp?

"And this year, for those of you who still _go_ to the AP lit class," Filia added with a quick glance to first Xelloss and then Lina.

"Oh yeah? Smart guy, huh?" Lina grinned. "What other instruments are there in your band?"

"Two violins, a guitar, and a percussionist," he answered simply.

"See, _he_ thinks of the percussionist as a musician," Xelloss said to no one in particular.

"So, you have a folk band, do you?" Lina tossed the point of discussion back into Bobby's court.

"Yeah. I've heard your band play—not entirely my thing, but I can appreciate your musicality. You guys are real musicians, unlike some of the 'bands' in Seyruun…bunch of carbon-copy anorexic Teeny-bopper dance troupes…" he grumbled. "I think we can lend you guys a 'medieval' flavor, without over-shadowing you. Besides," he looked at Lina seriously, "we can arrange a place to stay in Atlas city for recording."

Lina's smile took on a golden hue of happiness. "Tell ya what. Let's get both bands together and see what happens, say…Wednesday. You got a way to transport yourselves and your stuff to the Mayor's mansion up the hill?"

"Yes we do, and yes, Wednesday works for us, too. You won't regret it. I'm very good at composing music, and my band has been itching for gigs—do you know how hard it is for a folk band to play around here? All they want is rock, rap, and pretty faces, no one wants to hire REAL musicians who play REAL instruments…" Bobby seemed to be going off on a rant. Before he could say anything to embarrass himself, the bell for the end of lunch sounded, and the cafeteria exploded into a roar of voices and moving kids.

Xelloss did manage to close in on Bobby before the guy was lost in the exiting crowd. "Oh. Say there…Bobby, I'm—"

"Xelloss. Yeah, I know. Everyone knows you. I love interesting names, so I paid attention to you in class last year even before you guys got popular. You sure messed with the teacher's head in Comp!"

Xelloss looked surprised. He had thought he was practically invisible and unknown, or at least unknowable. "Well, I don't know about that, but…I just wanted to ask you if," he glanced around first then said in a lowered tone close by the other boy's ear, "Is your band all guys or are there some girls in your band too?"

Bobby gave him a humorous look, "Both, more or less, but I don't think you'd be terribly interested in them..." he laughed.

"I'm _always_ interested!" Xelloss said gaily, and then broke down into giggles of his own.

"Is everyone else 'taken' in your band then?"

Xelloss shook his head, but before he could expound on one of his favorite topics, Lina yanked him in another direction saying, "We gotta meeting with the drama teacher to go over stuff then do some more musical crap. Come on!"

Xelloss smiled and answered dutifully, "Yes, Lina-dear," leaving Bobby to shake his curly head and laugh at them all.

Val meanwhile caught Zelgadiss by the elbow. "The principal dude ain't clan, I could bet ma life on it. I'll catcha later tonight and tell ya 'bout it, dude!"

Zel nodded as Val's lanky form plowed through the crowded hall in the opposite direction. "Oh, joy…"

**_

* * *

Lina and Zel go to the DMV__or 'how Zelgadiss made brownie points to improve his karma.'_**

"Did you take a number?" he asked Lina upon entering the overheated, cafeteria-sized office.

"A what! Oh, gotcha…" Lina stepped back to the entry to the Department of Motor Vehicles and tore off a paper stub.

"What is it?" Zel asked with little interest.

"142."

Zel glanced up at the glowing green numbers displayed beneath a badly handwritten sign which read: Currently Helping This Number. The numbers read 17. "Damn…" he muttered, taking up a seat in the crowded waiting room and waving for Lina to do the same thing. "These are the only two next to each other, if you care."

"What's your problem?" she hissed. "There's about twelve people workin' behind the counter. Won't be so bad."

"Fine," he muttered and opened up his book bag. He withdrew his fifteen pound Chemistry book and opened it to a page somewhere in the first third of the book.

Lina snorted, "Be that way," and rummaged through her backpack for one of her notepads.

It was noisy and stuffy. Before long Zelgadiss decided that he would be unable to concentrate further, and shut his book. He looked up at the clock. Fifteen minutes had passed.

"Number eighteen!" shouted a nearly hoarse and harried sounding woman from the counter area.

"Gods…" Zel grumbled and shut his eyes too. His life was wasting away minute by minute…

"You done with any of the character sketches?" Lina nudged him not so gently. "Xelloss said you'd do them."

"Oh _did_ he? Well, yes. I have."

"Got 'em with ya? Sure you do. You carry your life's belongings in that bag everywhere you go. Don't roll your eyes and try and deny it, bozo. Just show me what ya got."

Zel didn't move.

Lina wiggled closer and smiled cutely. In her sweetest little voice she whispered, "Please? Oh please oh please?"

Sigh. Zel opened his uncovered eye and blinked. She must be desperate. Without a word he put away his chemistry text and pulled out his drawing book. He presented it to her. "Take a look."

Triumphantly, she snatched away the book and flipped to the first drawing. "Hey, that's me, isn't it? When did you do that? Oh, yeah…on that walk through the apple orchards. Pretty nice, Zel."

"Thanks."

"Whew-ee! There's that sorceress genius herself! Yeah! That's great red and black… Love the shoulder-thingies on the cape. Very…assertive, huh?"

Zel managed a tiny smile. He was terribly pleased that Lina approved. He had been reticent to show her, or anyone else, his ideas.

"Wow…you do Xelloss good, kid. Oh, and this is him...as a demon-priest for the musical, huh? Yeah, I like it. I like these a lot!" She stared long and hard enough at her quiet friend to catch his sly smile and glittering eyes. "Do more. Do some dragons or armor or swords. Yeah, do some of those for me."

Zel nodded and took back the drawing pad. He passed his time pleasantly, or must have since it seemed as if in no time he heard, "Number one-forty-one!"

"Hey, Lina, you're next so pay attention or they'll skip right past you."

She looked up at him. She looked pale, nervous.

"Number one-forty-two!"

"That's me!" Lina popped up shouting. She grabbed Zel by the wrist and dragged him along too. "I'm here ta get my permit."

"Driver permit, class A vehicle?" the man asked tonelessly.

"Naturally…That's what I wrote on the application right under your nose!" Lina pointed out. "What do ya need first—my proof of…" She was confident that she had everything in order. Zelgadiss had checked and double-checked.

He looked across the counter at the pile of papers Lina scattered for his perusal. He picked up the birth certificate and read it over. "Good for a start." He fingered each and every paper at least three times, then seemingly satisfied with what she had brought along, began entering information of the computer to his side. There just _may_ have been a slower typist in Seyruun. If there were, Lina hoped that person would think twice before taking a job requiring that skill, or simply shoot themselves. Unless, of course, that _was_ part of the job classification: 'type slow enough to lose a race with snails…'

"Okay, you can take your test at station 3 over there. When you are done come back to this line."

"Back to you?" Lina asked. "Just find you?"

"Yes. You'll have to wait in line if there is one. Then again, there may not be one."

"Yeah…" she muttered under her breath as she counted down the 'stations' for number 3. "What's the chance of _that_ happening?"

Zel returned to his seat, placed his things next to Lina's on her seat and looked around. There were many crazy looking people milling around. Where did these people usually hang out? Under bridges? Some of them smelled like it and others…well, under rocks were more likely for them. One settled not far away from him, and so he started to draw…

His concentration was broken by a resounding squeal and shout, "EEE-woo-whoooo! Yes!"

Ah, Lina must have passed on her first try.

"Master of the road!" she said with satisfaction.

There was a line for her to wait in, of course.

"I did it!" she said to the man at the counter when she finally reached the front of the line.

"Hgn," he grunted, turned and started to walk away.

"Hey! Where are _you _going?" she yelled after him.

"Break."

"WHAT! You can't go on break! I'm nearly done! I wanna get outta here before dark!" Lina pounded her fist on the counter. Several other people nodded approvingly. They looked as if they wished they had the audacity to have a fit too.

Zelgadiss stood and stretched his back. Oh, joy… The man appeared to be stunned and unsure of what to make of Lina. The game was up. Pushing through the crowd clustered around the counter, Zel thought it was time to play his hand as well.

"You had better finish with her," Zel said in a low dangerous sounding voice. "You see she has to drive me to the hospital…quickly. It's…spreading, you know." Then Zel pushed away his concealing bangs, showing the worst of his facial scars.

Everyone retreated from the vicinity of ten feet with audible gasps.

"Ah…" the DMV worker gaped.

"It gets worse while we wait…" Zel prodded him.

That did it. The man returned to the counter, took up Lina's test and asked to see her ID all over again.

"As if I changed identities in the past few minutes…" she grumbled.

But it was only to give the papers a cursory glance, not to start an incident. "Here, take this form to the photo booth and they'll make up your permit." The man practically shoved the paper in her face then ran to the back of the room and disappeared behind a door.

"Maybe he just had to, you know…_go_?" Lina grinned at Zel, clipping his arm with a little jabbing punch, and then trotted over to have her picture taken. "This outta be called the DM**Z** not the DM**V**!" Lina growled to the lady creating her id card.

"Here take this. You're done…" the lady said tersely, her eyebrow twitching.

"Yeah, well…at least I'm gettin' outta this hellhole." Lina took the card and looked for Zel. She found him standing by the door, his bag over one shoulder and Lina's over the other, ready to go. She waved the card and grinned.

On the way out to the car, Zel asked to see her shiny new drivers permit. "You look like a deranged pirate," he said with a smirk.

She yanked it back and stared at it. A grin spread across her face, "Yeah, I do, don't I? Pretty cool, eh?"

"Yes, Lina. Pretty cool," Zel chuckled and unlocked his car.

"Say, can I drive it home?"

"How many hours of driving could you possibly have done without a permit?"

"Ah…not much," she answered evasively.

"_Any_?"

"Well…no… But, geez, Zel, how hard can it be?"

He simply shook his head and slid into the driver's seat. His karma had been good to him today. He did not want to push it now. "Get in, Lina. Let's just go…get something to eat, all right?"

"Eat? Oh, well, okay, sure. That's okay this time. But…you'll teach me how to drive sometime, right?"

He sighed and started the car. "Sometime. But not now."

"Yeah, sure. Time to eat now!" she smiled contentedly and gazed at her picture on the permit. "Gotta love her, right?"

Zel smiled, "Of course."

* * *

From the Authors: Repeat Message:

Seyruun High Jinx now has a home! Ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Frog? No? Well, you can anyway now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. Hope to see you there! --KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Thirteen.


	14. Lina Gets Her 'Folks'

Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!

**Chapter 14**

**Lina Gets Her 'Folks'**

"They got a 'whine' contest? I know who'd be good at that!" --Val

* * *

Val's news Monday night hadn't been a surprise. His interview with the principal had revealed little substance of interest, and Zelgadiss hadn't expected Grauscherra to be a member of the Cephied clan. Any part of it. Even the far north. Xelloss had scanned the White Shrine databases while 'on the job', and found no Grauscherra leads. No, the principal was not a Shrine member of any standing. Zel also didn't think that he was a Draconian cult member, but wanted to check that lead as well.

"Hello, can I speak to Van? Thanks." Zel looked over at Val who was waiting expectantly and picking his teeth with a silver toothpick. "Hi, Zel here. Yeah, I'm not at school much anymore so I don't see anyone. So… I was wondering... I had this interview with the new principal, Grauscherra. I'm not sure why, but I have senior status, I guess, and he's talking to seniors first. Anyway...I was wondering if you knew of him. I don't know what I'm asking about...anything really, especially if you know if he's a member of the Draconian cult. No chance of that? Really? Absolutely? Fine. I didn't think so either, but Xelloss got the oddest vibes from him. You get funny vibes about Xelloss, do you? Join the club. Hey, I know! I see him everyday. Val and I live with him. He's...really all right, just a bit distracted by females. Uh, huh... If you say so, but I might agree if Hitomi were...ah...interested in me...which, of course, she's not. Yeah, well, it doesn't bother me so much. I don't see that dating is bringing him or anyone else anything but grief. Sorry, but I'm pessimistic that way. On the other hand, I'm taking Amelia out on her birthday, assuming our recording schedule works out. CDs in Atlas City. Yeah, over the next two months. Hey, thanks...yeah...later, bye."

"That don't leave many choices," Val remarked as Zelgadiss shut off his cell phone. "Shriner--out, one of the cults—out. Which leaves… syndicate."

"Maybe he's none of the above. The handkerchief might have been a gift. Even you said he was actually a pleasant guy to talk to." Zelgadiss argued. He wasn't going to be accused of paranoia this time.

"**_Pleasant_** compared to the previous principal... Big difference there."

"He seems to be popular..." Zel countered.

"With the girls, dude. He's a looker with... Damn! Why hadn't I noticed that before?"

"What, Val?" Zel asked. Val was staring at him with an odd expression.

"It's the strangest... Your eyes... he's got eyes like yours. Eyelashes! That's what makes him look different, but if yours grew in... And your hair was dark like his..."

"You're saying I look like this guy?" Zel couldn't decide whether to laugh or not.

"Similarities."

"Lina, Gourry, and Xelloss didn't mention it so it must be pretty superficial." Zel sighed and stood up. "I have homework to finish."

Val nodded, "Yeah. I guess I could do some too. We ain't gonna solve this mystery tonight."

* * *

Wednesday Practice…

Flying Fig, or Black Lavender, or whatever name Bobby's folk band was calling itself that day, had been a refreshing surprise for the Slayers. Just regular (well, maybe...) kids their ages that liked to play music; that's all. They melded well with the rock band, satisfying both Lina's medieval sound requirements and mellow personality prerequisite.

Actually, they were all pretty surprised at how mellow and good-natured the kids were. No tension, no angst. Sure, they teased and poked fun at each other, but there was never anything serious, and they were always laughing or at least smiling. Except for when they played music. Then, they fell into a deep focus, as if so immersed in the music itself that they had to devote all of their energy to it.

Although Bobby seemed to be the band leader, once he was seated behind his four-foot-tall folk harp and had his hands on those strings, he would not surface until the song was ended, or stopped abruptly (such as when Lina wanted them to stop so she could rearrange her background singers or point out something, an interesting something, that the folkies did, to her own band), which always seemed to shock him back to reality with a dazed expression on his plain, open face, his round glasses making him look a bit like a cartoon character.

His companions included his little brother, Luke, who had dyed-black hair and wore gothic eye make-up but played the violin and viola with passion, power, and skill; Pearl, the guitarist, who had long, long hair and wore intricately beaded hand-made jewelry and was refreshingly calm and pleasant (she cheerfully admired Zel's beautiful black fender; her own axe was an employable but cheap Korean-mass-produced); Sarah, the other violin, who had a lighter touch and was more classically trained, was the shortest in the group, and also the main comedian (she must have dispensed with an entire movie's worth of strategically placed Monty Python lines by the end of the practice); and Lee, who was tall and willowy, peering out through his long, straight bangs in a mildly amused way...

Xelloss found himself off to the side with Lee, both percussionists having been told in no uncertain terms to 'stop making that racket!' by Lina and Bobby in turn.

"So much for our contribution," Xelloss said with a smile.

Lee smiled, barely, "Well, we were just banging on your stuff so I could see what each drum sounded like."

Xelloss shrugged. "Maybe, but just wait until they want us, then they'll expect us to jump right in and know what to do, at least...that's how it works with us."

Lee's turn to shrug. "Bobby lets me try different things but since no one else wants my part, I don't get much flack." He met Xelloss' eyes for a split second. "I never see you around at school any more."

"I'm only there for lunch. I take math and chemistry with Zelgadiss at the university in the morning, and then Lina and I are developing a musical in the afternoon. That sends me out and about town meeting with experts. Like a professional choreographer. I've been taking singing and elocution lessons to improve my performing ability as well." Xelloss spoke quietly so he could not be overheard. "But it's a secret, for now."

Lee nodded. "Sounds like you're serious about performing then."

Xelloss smiled and opened his eyes. He glanced meaningfully in Lina's direction before saying, "I just don't want to disappoint our leader."

"Ah...Lina. I never thought I'd be sitting in a room with her."

Before Xelloss could ask the tall, ash-blonde Lee what he meant by that, Lee changed gears. "I know kids who have a crush on her."

"She's not dating anyone," Xelloss replied. "Not yet."

"Me neither," Lee shared. "No one in our band is..."

"Ah, well...Some of us do some, like me, but..." Xelloss noticed that Lina was looking around in their direction. "Nothing permanent in our band. Okay, Lina, we are listening! Guess we'd better find a drum to pound on."

Zelgadiss and Pearl worked out their parts. Zel, being the more accomplished musician, would continue with lead guitar picking, while Pearl would play mostly cords. Together they traded off rhythm. Pearl was very sweet and differential toward the unusual looking Zelgadiss. She politely said nothing about his appearance, but sneaked looks when he turned to Gourry or Val. Once he showed her a new cord and his fingers touched hers. He pulled back, and they both blushed. "Sorry..." he mumbled.

"Oh, it's okay," she said in a rush. "I-I see how to do that now. Thanks. My guitar teacher hasn't got to minor sevenths much. Who's your teacher?"

"I'm self-taught. In fourth grade, Lina gave me a beat-up Beatles Fake book so I started messing around with an old guitar. Of course, my hands were too small...most of the interesting cords were quite a stretch. Later, I had to exercise my hands to keep the scar tissue from shrinking up and I had lots of free time...so I played everyday." Zelgadiss looked up at Pearl and smiled a little. He knew she was curious about his skin condition. "I was in an accident. My father's chemistry lab blew up and I survived, barely."

Pearl nodded, relieved that she hadn't had to ask him about such personal things. "How horrible."

"Yes. But now I have extraordinary hearing and this singularly weird hair to make up for the freakish appearance," he smirked and shook his head. He couldn't believe how easy it had been to tell a stranger about all that. A year ago he could hardly talk to his band about his accident or the resulting 'deformities', and now, here he was joking about it!

"But the ears...You have pointed ears. I heard...they say you are part elf?" Pearl ventured since Zelgadiss seemed a bit comfortable talking about his afflictions.

"That's right!" laughed Xelloss from above where he stood on his way back to the drum arena. Lina stuffed his bag into his arms with a demand. He smiled subserviently her way, and then continued what he was saying to Pearl. "Elf. On his father's side. We share genes on his mother's side. I..." He smirked back at Zel, "...am a pure-blood human."

All right, some things he _was _a bit sensitive about! Zel opened his mouth to object, but Gourry stepped in first.

"You share jeans 'cause you're about the same size," Gourry said.

Both Pearl and Zel gaped at the joke, if it had been one.

Xelloss had pulled out of his bag an organized collection of CDs and video tapes. Gourry nabbed one of the CD/video tape combos Xelloss was handing over to Luke. Xelloss frowned, but then simply shook his head. Xelloss was dutifully distributing copies of their only demo CD and their video to the other band, while Lina described the contents. "Old stuff but you can practice to these at home. We'll need twelve songs for the musical, I figure, which is a lot for you guys to learn in a few weeks, but you are fast learners, I can tell."

Luke set down his violin and took the offered materials from Gourry, "I don't think those were the kind of _jeans_ he was referring to. He was talking about being related, right?" Luke stood a few inches shorter than Xelloss, and his furtive brown eyes never actually met the hooded purple ones.

"Correct!" Xelloss smiled.

He was eagerly preparing for an in-depth discussion of his and Zel's muddled history, when Amelia broke in effectively stopping that sensitive conversation. "You are in my math class," "Are you a sophomore too?"

"No," Luke said shortly. "I'm a freshman. You are taking Japanese, aren't you?"

"I am...most of us are taking it. Are you in our class?"

"No, I'm in the third year class. We grade your papers sometimes, and I recognized your name. The teacher's awful, but she's the only one so it doesn't matter. I've had her the last two years, bussing to the high school from the middle school." He tried to make it sound off-hand, but Luke seemed a mite smug about his achievements. However, he had every right to; he was a great violinist as well.

Amelia decided that he was probably a lot nicer than he seemed. He was just covering for his insecurity around all these older kids with a little bravado.

"Well, I hope you take the time to mark the papers correctly and put the right answer. Don't you just hate to have something marked as 'wrong' but the 'right' answer isn't given?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah, especially when he teacher won't correct the mistake," Luke smiled, finally. Amelia had broken through his reserve at last.

Amelia handed out copies of the band calendar which included recording dates and practice times both bands would share, and tiny blue envelopes imprinted with the words 'From the Mayor of Seyruun's Desk…' The calendar was looking full already for the next two months. There wasn't much time and there was plenty to do before they would be on the road and recording their first CD!

Best of all, Bobby told them, his married cousins were 'out of town' for a few months, providing both bands an entire house in Atlas City in which to crash; at least, they hoped they could all get parental approval.

To forward that effort, Amelia explained about the little envelopes. She and her father were inviting everyone from both bands and their parents and guardians to a Sunday brunch at the mayor's mansion. Hopefully, once everyone knew everyone, permission to stay overnight a couple times unsupervised would be a given. Sylphiel told them that in any case, her father would chaperone, if necessary, since he had business at the newly-built shrine (the Slayers blew up the old one in the first High Jinx story).

"We'll play our parents some music, right? That way they'll see how serious we are about it all!" Amelia cried out, and then added, "We can make it exciting with lights and...atmosphere... Oh! Zelgadiss! I got you a new fog machine! We can try it out!"

"Fog machine?" Bobby asked. "What do you do with a fog machine?"

The other kids snickered as Zelgadiss blushed and tried to hide his face in his hands. "Nothing!" he insisted.

She hadn't intended to embarrass Zelgadiss, so to steal attention back away from Zel, Amelia cried out, "It's next week. Not _this_ Sunday. We have a late night Saturday gig, right Miss Lina?"

"Yeah, and an important one. Joey's ready, you say?" she asked Xelloss.

"_Very_," Xelloss said with emphasis. "He begged me last week, but I wanted him to practice with the band and his schedule wasn't working out…that, and I thought he had some rough edges…"

"Great," Lina cut him off. "See that he gets here for the Friday practice this week then. He'll play with us at our Saturday gig. Guys, that's a TWO set gig-- seven AND eleven. Late, I know. I'm putting Joey on early and on the second show only if he's up fer it, 'kay Gourry?"

Gourry nodded, thankful that Lina had listened to his concerns for his little brother's well-being. He also noticed with some satisfaction that Xelloss appeared a bit chagrined by Lina's indifference toward him (Xelloss) of late. From Gourry's point of view, that was a good thing. Maybe the cure for Xelloss-liking came from being around him too much. It sure was for him.

Lina was still on a rant. "Then, we'll add the Sunday party to our calendars—not this Sunday, but the next…Everybody got that? Good, 'cause I got us another gig fer that Saturday. ALL of us, you Raven Figs, or whatever, too!"

Bobby gasped and coughed, "Us too! That's not much time for us to prepare…"

"Yeah, but you can do your own stuff, right? Good. Some of us will go up Friday for the festivities and checkout the sound system and… What, Val?" Lina turned to his hooting noise.

"Fes-tiiiiii-ities?"

Lina was full of information, plans, and strange news. "I got this call last night...from my Aunt Lucille."

"You have an aunt!" Amelia cried out. "I thought your mother and sister were your only living relatives! Remember doing those cultural fair projects last year and the problems you had?"

"Ah, well...she's not a blood relative actually. She's my father's brother's wife. He died a few years back and we lost touch." Lina paused to take a drink of her milk before continuing. "Anywho...she called out of the blue. Seems this warm fall has given their wine grapes a longer season than usual. She lives in Zephillia, which is south of here and warmer still. That's where I was born...where my mother met my dad...at the grape harvest festival. Which brings me to my point."

Lina bit into a cookie Pearl had brought to share. "I guess they need some help with the late harvest and she thought of me and my sister, but when we got ta talkin' and all… (munch, munch) she wants the whole band to come... plus the folkies here (making a wide sweeping gesture to include Bobby's band)... and we'll do some work and entertain and..."

She looked over the sea of expressionless faces. "Hey, there's great food and lots of it! They do fun stuff like...oh, I don't know, grape tossing and we can stomp on 'em in vats… The GRAPES, idiot! Stomp on grapes to make…juice!" She shouted the last two phrases pointedly at Gourry, who was about to ask something stupid-- she just knew. "And... there's barrel-rolling races and..."

"They got a 'whine' contest? I know who'd be good at that!" Val chuckled at Xelloss who was about to start complaining about the 'rustics' and unenlightened, uncultured country kids they would be entertaining with their music.

Xelloss' mouth snapped shut instantly and he shifted back into the shadows. Lina, now Val? He felt as if they were all pushing him away. A cold shiver ran over him. He'd make things right…with that dance number with Lina. They would knock them all off their feet.

Zelgadiss noted in a businesslike manner, "We'll need electricity for the amps and microphones."

"Where do you think this place is?" Lina asked defensively. "They ain't a bunch of hicks out there! It's rural, but they do have electricity!"

Zel sighed a tense sigh. "I mean, at a country-type fair that's held outside the power sufficient to handle all these amps is not often available."

Val stepped in for support. "He's talkin' _Ven-ue_. We've been playin' in clubs that host a lot of live bands, and have their own permanent gear: A PA system, speakers and a house mixer permanently installed. If we go out-a-doors we may need ta pur-chase all that."

"That's why you and Val need to be there Friday," Lina added breezily. "I got overnight accommodations taken care of, just bring sleeping bags. Filia? You free from the settlement?"

"I'll see what I can do. We have our own late harvests coming in, but…"

"But this one pays!" Lina shouted with glee.

But both Zel and Val were grumbling about the cost of equipment, if the place was as backwards as they feared.

Their combined discussion went something like this:

Val said, "We'll need ta buy a small multi-channel mixer for the background vocals. With the mixer, we'll mix the background and lead vocals together and amplify the signal with the lead singer's amp. So, just add the mixer to our shoppin' list."

Zel then would point out, "Yes, but then… we are not looking at a fairly intimate **venue**. We're booked to play something larger like the **great outdoors**, so we'll need to mic everything or run signals directly from the instruments. "

"Okay…we can mic the lead guitarist's amp, or better yet, run your guitar's signal through an amp emulator and then into the mixer…"

"Right," Zel agreed as Gourry ambled over to look at their drawings. "And then we can run the bass through a direct input box or an amp emulator, then run the keyboard's signal straight into the mixer."

Val nodded. "Sure, then we can make Xelly-boy's drum kit run straight into the mixer too. Which leaves mics for the lead and background vocalists. So with our four instruments and four or more vocalists, we'll need an 8-channel mixer to handle all the inputs, at least."

" No…12 minimum!" Zel argued. "The mixer sends its signal to an amplifier. For a venue the size of a school gym, you will need at least 100 watts -- but 200 watts would be better. And we'd need PA speakers that can handle the power that the amp delivers."

"Yeah, and depending on the speakers we select, we may need stands for them, too," Val agreed.

Gourry, who had been listening with interest, had his own idea to toss in. "We've used monitor speakers on stage before, which were a big help so we could hear ourselves play. So, that would mean your mixer will need a monitor-out signal."

Val blinked, "Yeah, so we will need a monitor amp and several monitor speakers."

Zel sighed, "All together, the equipment list for this gig of Lina's might look something like this:

One 12-channel mixer Main amplifier Monitor amp Main speakers Speaker stands if appropriate Monitor speakers Speaker cables for main and monitor speakers Six to seven mikes Mic stands Mic cords Power cords and extension cords Each instrument amp, cables and cords Replacement parts and repair kit A van for hauling all this stuff… " 

"Good thing we don't gotta buy the van," Gourry smiled.

Val and Zel continued making up lists and sketching layouts all the way to out the door to their cars. Xelloss followed in their wake, dark and secretive.

In the end, the Wednesday meeting had been a positive experience for them all. Which was saying something. A **big** something.

* * *

Thursday interview…

Grauscherra welcomed Zelgadiss into his office. "Thank you for accommodating me with this last minute schedule change. My assistant has gone out to bring us some ice," the slightly taller man said with a smile and firm handshake. "Unless you prefer your tea hot?"

Zelgadiss cleared his throat, "Ah...no thank you." He took the chair offered to him and looked around the office. He was missing lunch, but better that than miss this truly wonderful opportunity… The room, he noticed, was light and airy. Far different than when Xelloss' mother occupied it, when it was a darkened, smoke-filled tomb.

"Looking for familiar mementoes?"

Zelgadiss blushed slightly under the penetrating gaze. "It's unrecognizable from before."

"I practically had to have this place fumigated. As it was I had to tear down the walls to remove the cigarette smoke." He gave Zelgadiss a strange look. "Your records don't show you spent much time in trouble here."

"Ah…no." Zel sighed then decided to say the least possible.

"But you lived in her house, according to the records"

Another sigh. "My father was married to…the previous principal last year so I came in here to see her occasionally."

"The wicked step-mother?"

How was he to reply to that? ''Wicked' did not begin to cover Zelas. He chose a bland route. "We weren't close."

"I see…that added a step-brother to your family, didn't it…? Oh, excuse me." He paused to greet his assistant, Miss Sherra, who was carrying a large pitcher of tea, a bowl of crushed ice, and glasses on a tray. "Thank you. Right on my desk will be fine." Turning again to Zelgadiss he asked, "There is no way to replace a real mother, is there?"

"I wouldn't know…" Zel muttered under his breath. Zelgadiss was more interested in watching Sherra's movements as the principal filled the glasses with ice and poured the tea. What was she doing? Zel pretended to be interested in the offered drink, while listening to the woman sort through a few papers on the desk, discarding a few off the top. "…Shouldn't have been left out…" he over-heard her whisper to her boss at one point. No one but Zelgadiss could have made out her muffled words.

"…worry too much…He's hardly looked up…" Grauscherra whispered back with a smile and wave of his hand.

Now Zelgadiss was terribly interested in the content of those papers. However, how was he to get a look at them? He was in fact so intent on getting a look at those tossed notes, that he nearly spilled his drink all over his pants. "Gah!" he jumped as the cold ice danced off his lap.

The principal chuckled and presented his handkerchief for Zel's use. "I don't mean to make you nervous…You were saying about your birth mother?"

Oh no, of course you don't want to make me uncomfortable here asking me personal questions. "Sorry…I wasn't paying attention," Zel muttered. But he did manage to get a glimpse of the embroidery. Gourry had been right on target! Now, what had the man asked him? "Ah…Mother? No, that is, I never knew her. She died at my birth."

"So it's just you and your father living at home with your…step-brother?" Grauscherra pushed. He smiled casually, but Zelgadiss shifted uncomfortably.

"No. My father lives apart. Actually, I'm missing lunch right now…" he glanced furtively over one shoulder. Good. Sherra had gone.

Seeing that Zelgadiss was not to be more forth-coming on the topic of family relations, the man moved on. "Well, now…I'll cut to the chase. I was looking over your records. Very impressive. Four-point-oh. Tutoring. SATs over 1500. You should have your pick of colleges, or are you simply entering the university full-time in January?"

"No. I decided to tutor the computer lab and go half-time to the university. After that, I don't know. Full time next year. Medicine, maybe."

"A doctor?" Grauscherra looked taken aback. "Research?"

"I thought so, but maybe I could help other patients with my condition," Zel said firmly and looking the man directly in the eyes. He was daring the man to actually examine his scarred features.

"Yes, well, that might…be…an idea." Grauscherra was at a loss for words momentarily.

He had the man flustered at last. Zel smirked, "Or maybe I'll just drop out and become a rock star." There, now the man was off his beat!

Grauscherra tried to recover with a light chuckle, but Zel wasn't finished. "Getting mobbed by fans over the weekend was very…exhilarating. College. It isn't going anyplace. It'll be there when I'm ready." He fingered an earring and grinned.

Actually he was having a blast getting into character someplace between Xelloss and Val. Unfortunately, Grauscherra quickly concluded the conference with a lame, "Nearly time for my next student!"

Zel rushed to catch Lina and the others for the last few minutes of lunch. "Xelloss!"

"Yes?" Xelloss was seated alongside Sylphiel today.

Zel lowered his voice to a near whisper, "How late does the custodian work?"

Xelloss' eyes widened, a look of mirth spreading across his face. "Tonight? Very. The day-man leaves at three-thirty, while the night shift lady doesn't come on until seven and is here past midnight. May I ask…why?"

Zel shook his head. "Which one does office trash duty?"

"Night. Runs it through the shredder. Unless…"

"Unless, what?"

"Unless someone were to empty it sooner. After the office staff goes home. Someone without authority. There are secrets to be protected, you know." Xelloss stared at Zel, whose mouth curved into the tiniest of smiles.

"I may need to miss chem. lab tonight," Zel whispered.

"There is no lab. Eris said so, didn't you catch that announcement Monday? Wow, good thing _I'm_ listening… Claims someone clogged the vent hoods and they are closed for repairs. So, you and I shall have some time on our hands." Xelloss smiled and gestured with both hands, empty.

Zel nodded. "I'll meet you at…Lina's after school? No? The park? Fine."

* * *

Xelloss was happy that he still had those magical keys to the high school building. "It gives me something to thank dear Zelas for," he smiled. That and the knowledge of the back entrance leading to the bell tower. From that door, he and Zelgadiss sneaked undetected into the school long after hours.

"If we go down those steps to that door, it'll take us to the basement," Xelloss indicated the door illuminated dimly with his flashlight, "We'll be able to follow one of the steam tunnels to the cafeteria, and from there up and right next door to the principal's office."

"How would you know about such a path?" Zel asked in a mixture of annoyance and wonder at his best friend.

"Oh, Zelas used it as an emergency exit to avoid…unwelcome encounters. She shunted me in and out this way many times. Here's a map she drew in case I might forget."

Zel snatched the paper out of Xelloss' hand and stared at it. "Fine. Lets go. You first."

"Okay, Do-kay!"

The basement was cluttered with years of discarded debris, broken play sets and chairs, forgotten boxes of decorations from past dances, and neglected signs. The two boys negotiated a path to a spot near the steam tunnel entrance, then stopped, puzzled.

"I don't see where…" Xelloss began.

"Help me move these screens. The door should be back here," Zel called out.

Working together, the two managed to shove enough garbage aside to reveal a grate-covered opening, gaping dark and wide. "How inviting." Zel smirked over at Xelloss. "Is it a muck-hole too?"

"No," Xelloss insisted. "Zelas never would have gone into a place infested with…unsanitary material. Follow me."

Bending their heads some afforded them enough clearance to enter the tunnel. "The floor's smooth so we can move quickly," Xelloss assured him. "Just keep your head low to avoid the pipes. They carry the steam generated heat to the rooms above for heating in winter."

Zelgadiss found the place to be most interesting. He would have liked to have stayed longer and mapped out the entire system, when Xelloss stopped in front of him. "What? Problem?" Zel asked.

"No. I think this is the turn… yes, see the exit and the steps up to the next floor?"

Zel smiled, "After you…"

Xelloss grinned, "You're not afraid of ghosts or anything, are you?"

"No. But I don't wish for a face-off with that crazy cafeteria lady."

"She's gone home. She leaves…all her staff does, before school closes. It'll be empty there, I assure you. What I don't know for certain is whether or not the principal's office staff will have left." Xelloss winked at Zel, then added, "But…I shall find out!"

He pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number. It rang several times then a message clicked in. Xelloss smiled, "All gone for the day."

Zel may have let out the breath he had been holding ever since they had entered the cafeteria pantry. "All right. That's good to know." Zelgadiss looked over and their eyes met.

"Something wrong?" Xelloss asked. His friend's eyes revealed a mood change.

Zel smirked, "You know, this is the first time we've gone on a mission together and been on the same side."

Xelloss returned a relieved smile, "We've always been on the same side, just coming from different directions. But, I know what you mean."

"Yeah, it's actually very…"

"Stimulating?"

"Yeah." Zel admitted. "Breaking and entry."

"Not 'breaking' technically speaking…and you left out the stealing part," Xelloss chuckled quietly.

"We haven't stolen anything, yet." Zelgadiss reminded him with a shiver of excitement.

"Yet."

"That's right, yet."

"Then, shall we?" Xelloss asked.

"We shall." Zel smirked again and stepped in behind Xelloss along a narrow unlit corridor. It ran straight a short distance, then turn sharply to one side. Their path divided at a 'Y'.

"Right. There's a door which opens into the outer office area. Yes, I'm absolutely sure. I used a computer in there many an evening," Xelloss said confidently.

"All right," Zel nodded, strode forward, pushing past Xelloss and silently turned the doorknob. With a gentle push, the door inched open.

The space was dark on the other side. Only a few blinking lights from a computer monitor, scanner, and various telephone machines provided illumination. "Clear," Zel whispered and opened the door.

It was the office where he'd picked up his registration and paid fees and waited to see...the principal. Now, it was creepy, but empty except for Xelloss and himself. Zel took a deep breath and held it, counting, steadying his nerves.

"We have at least an hour before the night custodian comes by the offices." Xelloss smiled unconcernedly and led the way again to the door of interest. He messed with the keys trying first one, then another. Perplexed, he sorted through his collection one more time.

"The man probably changed the lock on his door," Zel whispered. "Here let me see what I can do while you keep looking."

Zelgadiss removed a felt rag tied with a string from his pocket. He untied the knot and unfolded the cloth, revealing a glittering set of small tools. He chose one and inserted the pointed end into the lock opening and twiddled a bit. He kept his ear pressed to the doorknob, listening for the telltale clicks of the lock's barrel settling into place.

Xelloss gave up at last. He had tried all the possible keys, even the worn one he was positive had opened Zelas' office, but none had worked. Now, he waited for Zel.

Zel looked up, and then grinned, "Got it."

Returning his grin, Xelloss asked, "When did you learn to do that?"

Zel shrugged. "It's…a secret."

Xelloss punched his friend lightly on the shoulder. "Bastard…"

"I think we should keep our talk to the minimum," Zel warned him. "I don't want to draw attention to us. Here, over here's the trash basket…Yes!"

Both boys scrambled around the desk from opposite an overturned the basket. Zel nabbed the paper he was interested in, while Xelloss sorted through the rest using a pen to touch questionable objects. "He certainly likes to eat oranges," Xelloss remarked as he wrinkled up his nose.

"Tangerines. Those are tangerine skins. Smaller thinner…little oranges…" Zel corrected him. "I remember eating them as a kid."

"Me too. Zelas hated them but _fa-ther_…" Xelloss halted mid word. "Ate them at lot." He finished, but with difficulty. "I think she called them 'nasty clementines.'"

Zel nodded silently. "Oh…gods…Xelloss…"

"It's okay. I mean, when I was little, they were like parents to me so I can remember those times and not be too traumatized, right?"

"Shhhh! No, that's not what I meant. Look at this note!" Zel jammed the paper under Xelloss nose. He moved the flashlight closer so they could both read it.

Oh, my…

Xelloss jumped up off the floor and started scanning the bookshelf. "Hurry! See what more you can find. Check in the desk, file-- any place! We've got to find out just how much they have found out about us already!"

"This is now becoming dangerous, Xelloss."

"I know. Please, I don't want to think about that now. Let's learn all we can in here then get the hell out before we get caught." Xelloss said between clenched teeth.

Zel could tell his friend was frightened and going into survivor mode. Good. Xelloss was a great survivor. Zel jimmied the desk lock and rifled through all he could find, but there were no more documents. "I have a feeling that we have got a long night ahead of us on the Internet. There is no filing cabinet either. Anything?"

Xelloss snagged one folder off the shelf, folded it in half and pushed it under his belt. "Maybe. Time to move out, little brother?"

"Yes." But Zel said it on his way out the door. "Shh… I hear footsteps."

Xelloss grabbed Zel by the arm and yanked him to the floor. "Crawl over this way…" Xelloss hissed.

The outer office door opened. The light nearly blinded them as the switch was engaged. A lone figure stood in the doorway a moment, then moved, pushing a large rolling cart with a grunt. "Is that you Xelly? You back workin' late nights here fer the new boss?"

Xelloss gasped, then stood up, "Why yes! You startled Zelgadiss here though. We were just on our way out the door, when he heard you in the hall and fainted! See? Ah, yes, he's coming to now." Xelloss reached down and gave Zel and hand up. "Meet my brother, Zelgadiss, Mrs. Hanover."

Zel shakily clasped the cleaning lady's hand. He looked as if he were about to faint. "Ah…hi…"

"You should give me your schedule if yer gonna be here much. The new man, he don't tell me this things. Nice to meetcher…Zel… I guess I can't call you Zelly too now, can I?"

"Zel is fine."

"Yes, I should. He and I are taking classes at the university this year and aren't around much." Xelloss was just starting to explain, when she interrupted.

"Oh, yes…I know the two of you…Zel, now…you run the computer lab fer the school now. That's okay. I know to expect you two then. Go on now. I got lots of work to do." She waved them off and set to busying herself emptying the trash. "Oh, and he changed the locks so if there's any need for you to go into the boss's office, ya gotta wait fer me to open up. Okay?"

Xelloss nodded, "Thanks, but…I don't think we should. The computer out here is sufficient and you never know what kind of secrets he may not want us to see in there."

Mrs. Hanover chuckled, "Well, yer honest boys. Good night!"

"Good night!" the two boys answered, then bolted down the corridor to the steam tunnels.

Once they were outside, safe in Zelgadiss' car once again, he asked, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Hold your composure and think up all that…crap and sound so…calm and trustworthy?" Zel was breathing hard yet trying to slow his pounding heart at the same time.

"Why, I've been acting for years, little brother, trying to fit in even while I was screaming in my head. Well, that and I did receive some training at my mother's summer camp." Xelloss smiled.

Zel smiled back. "Fine. I guess I'll have to learn my own way."

"Yes you will. You always like to do things the hard way."

"Hard? After reading your life story, _any_ way I choose is going to be easier." Zel smirked.

"Glad you think so, little brother, because our lives are going to be an uphill battle from here on out for a bit."

"But this time," Zel looked over at his best friend meaningfully. "You and I are doing it together."

"With a little help from our friends?" Xelloss smiled.

"Better believe it!" Zel laughed. "And this time we're going to have fun."

Xelloss raised an eyebrow in question, "Oh really?"

"Oh…yes…"

"Oh…Joy!" they laughed in unison.

* * *

From the Authors:

Seyruun High Jinx now has a home! Ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Frog? No? Well, you can anyway now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. Hope to see you there! --KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Fourteen.


	15. Slayers Misunderstood

Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!

**Chapter 15 **

**Slayers Misunderstood**

"Damn… they think I'm a crime lord? Mercenary, dude…way cool!" Val smirked.

* * *

By the time Zelgadiss had driven to their home, Xelloss' self-control had ebbed away markedly. A tear trickled from his eye, which he hastily wiped off before Zel could see it, and replaced it with a scowl. As they were entering the house, Xelloss asked, "Okay… So… Who, how much and when do we tell the others?"

However, their surreptitious behavior had not gone unnoticed, and when they turned on the lights, Val bounded out with an answer. "Make that **us** and **everythin** and **_now !_**"

Zel jumped a foot at least at the sudden appearance of his other roommate. "_Gah_! Val! I thought you and Gourry were studying at his place!"

Gourry stepped out of the shadows from the bathroom, causing Xelloss this time to lurch off to one side. "Ah…we were gonna. Er…we were at my house when we saw yer car leavin' the park…ah… 'Cause we were outside… and, um… We followed ya to the school…"

Val growled defensively, "We were on our way ta get some food at the corner and it wasn't much further…"

"Kinda late fer goin' back to the school, Zel." Gourry brushed back a heavy fringe of bangs.

"So we knew you were on to something," Val finished. "So? Didya find some ev-ee-dence?"

Zelgadiss turned to look at Xelloss who smiled and shrugged in defeat. Zel sighed significantly, then said, "Since I don't suppose you'd accept it being a secret… I'll read you this note. I got a glance at it when I had my interview with Mr. Grauscherra today. We went back and retrieved it from the trash…"

"You broke into the school and stole that paper?" Gourry did not seem thrilled by this news. He stared hard at Xelloss, whom he blamed for the illegal activity.

Xelloss jangled his keys, "Call me the 'doorkeeper'. I simply opened the doors, and that was a discarded piece of paper." He smiled unconcernedly.

Gourry frowned. He knew Xelloss was trying to get off on technicalities. Val, on the other hand, didn't care. "I don't give a shit how ya got what ya got. I juss wanna know whatsup?"

Zel began to paraphrase, "It says…: Keep a look out for these persons of interest. They must be considered dangerous at all times. They did execute three top-level executives of the syndicate, Darkstar himself, several high order Volphied and Overworlder leaders, plus several mid-level syndicate members and countless lower ones. Reports have been unclear and err-prone, so you must tread carefully. Females: Lina Inverse, CIA; Amelia, Seyruun' government offices; Filia, high order of the Golden Cephied clan; and Sylphiel, head priestess of the White Shrine. Males: Xelloss Metallium, international syndicate mogul; Val Gaav, crime lord syndicate refugee; Zelgadiss, the Red Priest, and Gourry Gabriev, mercenary at large. Notify when located. Contain if possible and await further instructions."

Zel looked up, "Xelloss identified the syndicate stamp. It's from the Grauscherra Dynasty."

"Sur-prize…sur-prize!" Val smirked. "Damn… they think I'm a crime lord? Mercenary, dude…way cool!"

Gourry shook his head. He may not have known what one was from the blank look on his face.

"Killer for hire," Xelloss smiled, relishing his explanation. "One could create a private army with mercenaries, for instance. I, as a mogul, would be one to do just that. Or you might work for Val, our resident crime lord, or both, playing both sides of the game!"

"You are lovin' this, aren't ya?" Val grinned.

Xelloss sobered instantly, "No, actually. I find it terribly disturbing. That these people have all of our names, the girls in particular, with confused identities, to the extent of making us sound like adult murderers, has me worried most. Grauscherra is taking it seriously also, which is obvious by the fact that he's already pinpointed the four of us…five, including Lina, in the first couple months of school."

"Well, he didn't learn nothin' from me," Val sniffed. "He ain't even certain I'm the guy he's lookin' fer…what with the name change on my records." He recognized Xelloss' contribution to his identity make-over with a quick nod.

"You may have set him off course-- **maybe** – but don't count on it for long. You hang around us, which makes you guilty…" Xelloss began.

"…By _as-so-she-ay-shun_. Yeah, yer probably right 'bout that." Val grunted in dissatisfaction.

Gourry shifted uncomfortably. "So, what can we do? We gotta protect them. Lina needs to know, too."

Xelloss took this opportunity to remove the folded manila folder from its uncomfortable hiding place and inspect it closely.

Zelgadiss watched his face, and then moved over to read what he could. "Codes… ID codes, you think? Passwords?"

Xelloss nodded, "And more. I think we have an absolute idiot on our hands, this Grauscherra guy. Zelas would never have kept as valuable a file as this just…out on the shelf like that! First, she would have memorized everything. Then she would have stored this in a safe of some sort at home or on the island."

Zelgadiss said, "But won't it be worthless now that we have it? Won't he change all these codes once he finds them missing?"

Xelloss shook his head, "I don't think he even knows it was slipped in there. Look!"

The label on the file said 'Miscellaneous'.

"There were dozens of these, all marked the same way and mostly filled with copies of school district memos. The rest of this folder is stuffed with more worthless printouts of e-mails. Some assistant that pretty little Sherra lady is, huh? She must have stuffed this in by mistake. Nothing was really filed in any sensible order. It was more by chance that I happened across this one." Xelloss scanned the sheet of paper again while the others shuffled through the rest of the file, just to make certain he hadn't missed something. He hadn't. Val looked up to see a mischievous smile spread across Xelloss' face.

Zelgadiss was about to prod Xelloss a bit more. He wondered what had drawn Xelloss to that particular innocuous file, when Val interrupted his train of thought.

"Yer got a plan goin'," Val said in his gravely voice.

"Per-haps," Xelloss replied. "But what that is…is a secret…" To avoid a not-so-gentle- punch or two, he said quickly, "Until I have a chance to check out the validity of these codes…which I'm on my way to do…immediately!" Xelloss scampered out of Val's reach and locked himself in his room.

"Let him be," Zelgadiss suggested to the other two who had chased Xelloss to his door. "He's sneaky, but careful and knowledgeable about what his doing. But mostly, he won't do anything that might bring harm to Lina. A-andtotheothergirls!" he added in a rush.

Val settled down immediately, but Gourry required a few moments to unclench his fists and relax. This bothered Zel. He preferred the gentle, easy-going skater-Gourry to this over six and one half foot, 250 pound angry, jealous young man, who looked every bit the mercenary the syndicate north thought him to be.

"What we've got is some time. Time to develop our plan. If those codes do what I hope, what I think he hopes, they can do, we'll be able to run this show our way this time. Right now, this Grauscherra guy's got to be confused. There's no way he can think that the guys, and girl, he's interviewed can be the ruthless killers described to him. I mean, Lina…CIA? Get real… He might even decide his orders are so screwed up, he'll cancel the entire show." Zel stopped. His eyes took on a glassy appearance as he sat transfixed, staring out into space.

Gourry, back to normal, passed a hand through that space, passing once or twice in front of Zel's eyes. "Um…Zel? You there?"

Zel shivered and came to, "Oh, ah…yes. I just had an epiphany, of sorts." Then he just whispered the word 'show' and became thoughtful and silent.

"Right, we got that damned musical to do on toppa school, gigs, fans, and…now the f-& syndicate again." Val slammed his hand onto the coffee table, shaking the stack of glasses and books.

Gourry sighed, "Its fer Lina. We gotta do it fer her. So, I guess we don't tell her 'bout all this until he's done figurin' out those code things?"

Zel nodded in agreement, but said nothing. He had his mind in another world entirely. What he had to admit to himself was that he agreed with Val; that man's eyes were remarkably like his own, part-Asian and cerulean blue. And then there was the show…yes…that… With luck, with good karma, it all might work out…

* * *

Friday, the band practiced first with young Joey to get him comfortable playing his drum part with everyone else in the 'Sexy, Sexy' song. He practiced his cues for when to come on stage and when to go off, and where to stand in between. Xelloss and Lina sang, but did not dance. After that they took a break. Gourry called his mom to come pick Joey up so he could do his homework. Although Joey didn't want to leave, he understood that they others had material to cover which didn't involve him, and so, he left reluctantly but without complaining.

After Joey had left, Amelia had an announcement to make while the others were snacking on their break. "Daddy suggested I call our lawyer about our song copyrights to the music and licensing fees and all. I just wanted to let you know that he'll probably be calling you, Miss Lina, for details. Also, Mr. Tamahome's been covering for our fees for performance royalties, which are tracked and paid out by the performance rights organizations (PROs) like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC.

"PRO customers include just about anyone who plays music in a public place -- even those who play "hold" music for their business. These include television networks, cable television stations, radio stations, background music services like Muzak, colleges and universities, concert presenters, symphony orchestras, Web sites, bars, restaurants, hotels, theme parks, skating rinks, bowling alleys, circuses, you name it…"

"…Ya already did…" muttered Val in the background.

Undaunted, Amelia finished what she had to say, "…If they play music, they have to have a license and pay royalties."

She smiled at Val and went on, "Technically, anyone performing music publicly anywhere has to pay if you are playing songs held by ASCAP or BMI. If you do not pay and you get caught, you can be sued. That we want to avoid because the fines are pretty steep -- sometimes thousands of dollars! Plus, it's…"

"Un-JUST," Val filled in with a condescending snort.

"Yes," she agreed with merely a nod in his direction.

She would indeed make a good politician, Xelloss smiled. She could really roll with the punches.

Amelia was saying, "Now, this made sense for Mr. Tamahome's to so since the Suzaku Seven _only_ does covers and we've been doing 99 percent our own material, but now that we're going out on our own and doing other folks' music… we need to pay."

Lina sighed, "So, you got that covered, I take it then, Amelia?"

"Yes! So don't any of you worry. I'll handle that part of the finances," she beamed proudly.

"This is getting so complicated…" Sylphiel sighed.

"Not for you," Lina said a bit harshly. Sometimes the whole band thing was overwhelming. She was truly thankful for Amelia's determination to help her. And for Val and Zel's ability to plan out the technical needs for their outdoor change of venue gig. And for Gourry to think of his younger brother's needs. And for Xelloss to hold up his end of the musical project workload without requiring her prodding. And for Filia and Sylphiel for not making trouble for her… "Ah…sorry 'bout that… Hey guys…I just wanna say how really grateful I am for all you do. I'm not nearly as stressed out as I thought I might be and we got so much to do."

Well, that was a surprise! They were all stunned hearing words like that coming from Lina's lips. "Ah…that's okay…" Filia managed to say for them all. "I mean, we all have to do a little more these days, but the rewards…It'll be fun to share all that too."

"Which reminds me," Xelloss piped up. "Would you all like to come with Sylphiel and me to see Subaru after practice? Your last visit really meant a lot to him. He even said so!"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Get my mind off this stuff for awhile," Lina agreed.

They all decided to end the practice immediately, then after packing up their equipment for the next night's gigs, they took the van to the Great White Shrine downtown.

The White Shrine housekeeper was extremely pleased to see all the kids again. She chattered on about the comings and goings around Subaru- not much- and then thrust a magazine into Lina's hands. "You seen this yet? No? There's a piece in here about your band. I bet he'd get a kick hearing you read it to him then talk about what you do. It's so far removed from his world."

Lina was about to ask the woman who she was. She didn't sound like 'just a housekeeper' to her, but the woman had disappeared as quickly as he had appeared when they first arrived. "Very odd woman, that one…" Lina murmured to herself.

After greeting the somber-faced Subaru at his room, they all proceeded down the hallways to where Sylphiel's family lived. There in the kitchen, she brought out refreshments and Lina hauled out the magazine. "So I was just handed this. I haven't read it, but it looks long. Wanna hear what this guy's take on our band is? Okay, here goes…"

**_The Article: _**

_'Who's News? A Weekly Focus on Music in and Around Seyruun. _

This week's band of interest: The Slayers. Winner of the Battle of the Bands in the 'New Group' category– Dylan Tryptich

I covered the Battle of the Bands at the conclusion of the summer, but noticing that the up and coming Slayers band was appearing locally with the Suzaku Seven, I thought I'd drop in on one of their shows and see their entire act, and get a chance to catch some of their backstage rapport.

Let me begin by saying that if you haven't seen and heard the Slayers, then you must. Young and new, they perform like seasoned veterans. Professional, but not too polished as to lose their spontaneity. The musicians know how to play their instruments and the singers understand their roles and have the cords to do it. Dazzling smiles and lustrous hair abound in this band. Blonds, brunettes, redhead...and the rainbow boys with purple, silver, and green. Something for everyone! I also like the camaraderie between the band members. It shines through their smiles and music.

The leader, primary song writer and lead singer is one hot firecracker, Lina Inverse. She has the versatility of a woman much more experienced, belting out rockers one moment, and tender soul-searchers the next. Her energy is awe-inspiring and carries the audience along on a magical musical joyride. Not to mention she is hot. That's another appeal this band carries– stunning beauties...and the girls are sensational as well!

The three background singers meld their complex harmonies seamlessly into the musical tapestries woven with instruments. The lovely ladies, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, Sylphiel Nels Lahda, and Filia Ul Copt, are more than just eye candy. These are vocalists with a reason to be up there on stage. And even if you miss their complicated counterpoints and harmonies, you will be able to hear and appreciate each lovely lady during their solo pieces.

The instrumentals are handled solely by the four boys. On the bass is the tallest young man with hair as long as the lead singer is tall! Gourry Gabriev lays down the bassline flawlessly, adding a few inventive fingerings of his own others will be challenged to copy, unless they have over fifteen inch hand spans. He is the glue necessary to bind a top-notch rock and roll band together.

The lead guitarist, Zelgadiss Greywords, hides his unusual appearance under an expanse of wiry hair. Wondering what kind of bottled potion he used to achieve his unique 'look', I was informed that it is natural. He is part elf, he says. Elf or not, he commands my respect when it comes to guitar licks. His fingers move at lightening speed along the fingerboard of his instrument enabling him to achieve arresting new riffs.

On keyboards is Val Agares, who looks like he belongs in a punk band someplace else; that is, until you listen to how his clever playing and edgy, grittiness tames the sweetness of the girls. His tender side is reveled during one particularly moving song where he accompanies one of the singers with his piano alone. In his solo numbers, his screams and howls shake the room. There's no snoozing through a Slayers performance!

Adding the necessary dynamics, seasoning and snappy pizzazz, is the drummer, Xelloss Metallium. He introduces a variety of percussion into their numbers uncommon to the run of the mill rock and roll bands. Chimes, conga, maracas and various gongs adorn his drum set arena. And he seems to be enjoying some private secret, there on his throne apart from the others wearing his ever-present smile.

Prior to the show, I tried to do my homework. A good journalist should be able to dig up some juicy bits even about a bunch of high school students. Amazingly, I discovered next to nothing about them. To be sure, Miss Seyruun is the mayor's daughter, and Miss Lahda, the daughter of the head of the White shrine. No secrets there. Miss Inverse lives with an older sister for her guardian. Miss Ul Copt and Mr. Agares are clan hippies, while Mr. Greywords, although part elf, is also the son of the well respected Professor Greywords of Seyruun University. Mr. Metallium is the son of the late principal of the high school. Those are the facts, but what brought this unlikely group together? What make them click? I found them backstage after the show to find out...

First to greet me was the tall bassist. He shook my hand with a steel grip, causing me to wince.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"No problem." Then I ask him what he plans to do when he graduates.

"I work for my dad and plan to do that more. I'm learning the computer to help do bids and all."

How is that for a taste of reality? That is one guy with something on the ball! He knows the final outcome of most rock and roll bands and is preparing for his own solid future.

I caught the little leader of the band and posed the same question to her.

"A writer. Hey someone, gimme a soda!"

"Ha!" I smiled in reply. "I wrote some poetry myself when I was in high school."

"...Isn't that nice for you. Thanks Val!"

Val handled her a soda can and grinned, "Here, babe."

"Your boyfriend?" I asked her.

Lina gave me a deadly stare, "No." She turned away from me rather rudely and spoke to the studded punk. "Val, he's yours."

She started to walk away. I caught her attention again. "Before you run off...really...what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I said: a writer."

"So you want my job?" I smiled.

"No, I want to be a **writer**!" Then she stalked off to change out of her costume.

Sassy little thing, that Lina. She had handed me off to the keyboardist. "Val, the only record of you I could find was your name on the figurehead of the Seyruun Country Club. Pretty funny, don't you think?"

"Oh, yeah?" His face jewelry glittering, but he was not forthcoming.

"You don't live there..." I pushed harder.

"Hell no. I have a _re-peu-tay-shun_ to up-hold."

"Is that so? So, why can't I find anything on you, Mr. Agares? I figured a guy like you might even have a rap sheet with the police, you know...for that reputation of yours."

Val smiled. "Sucks, don't it? You can find me out at the settlement."

"That's a counter-culture colony, isn't it? How does that fit in with the rock and roll lifestyle and what you to be when you grow up?"

"You ever been there?" he asked.

I shook my head to the negative.

"Didn't think so," he said. "You don't know shit about the clan, so don't go dissin' it. See Filia over there? Yeah, the hot babe. She's clan too, and note that she ain't no hippie either. Hey, I gotta help pack."

Now there's one dude with a chip on his shoulder! So, the keyboardist stalked off, chains rattling, to help the drummer take down his kit. I followed up on the other clan member—who up close looks like she stepped out of a magazine, no…better than that, healthier… more of a model that eats. "Filia, I understand you live out of town with the clan?"

"I'm a priestess, yeah," she answered with a toss of her hair and a reproachful glare in Val's direction.

"Are there many opportunities for a young lady singer like you out there?"

"I don't know. Right now, a bath and bed sound good to me."

I didn't think she was propositioning me; she looked dead tired, but a gorgeous dead. Since she didn't have anything more to say, I turned to the dark-haired beauty bustling around picking up discarded costumes. "Sylphiel, I can see you are busy, but I was wondering what young people in music were thinking about, as far as their future was concerned."

"You mean like a job? I am a priestess with the shrine, but I'm studying diets and all. I want to be a dietitian. I can work at the hospitals... Oops! Gotta go!"

What a sweetie! There's another one with her feet planted firmly on the ground. Like that other industrious one, the bassist. That's when I found the other little girl. "Amelia..."

"Yes, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, Mr.–?"

"Tryptich...You are the youngest member of the band, right? Quite young to be at venues like this, don't you think?"

"I'm fine and Daddy doesn't mind. He says working is good for young people—but not on school nights!"

"Your father, the mayor, right? Yes...he doesn't mind you staying out so late with these older young men?"

"Certainly not! They are my very best friends. We do stuff together, like camp out and stay at the beach. They are nice guys and bunches of fun!"

This girl is just bubbling full of enthusiasm, youth, and naïveté. I decided it was time to meet the other 'nice guys'. The drummer was still breaking down his kit, so I caught him for a moment. "Hi!"

"Hi."

"Xelloss. I wasn't able to gather much history on you. Can you fill me in a little about yourself?"

"Really? Well, I'm a priest at the White shrine..."

"Same one as the other chorus girls?"

"Amelia and Sylphiel, yes. But Amelia is only part-time these days."

Xelloss looked like another serious one. I guess he saved his smiles for the stage. Maybe he wasn't just another pretty face to thrill the pre-teen crowd. He was distracted by his other band members a moment, so I just stood back and recorded what I overheard them say.

"Zelgadiss? I need to see Subaru tonight," Xelloss called out.

Zelgadiss, the 'elf' guy wandered over. Good, this might give me a change to speak to him as well. "Sure. He needs your company as well. Why don't you stay over? Make things simpler..."

So, sorry girls, I guess this drummer really does march to a different beat.

"Crap! Not this again!"

Lina had to break from her reading since she couldn't be heard over the groans and indignant remarks.

"Man, why did he have to listen in to that part?" Van groaned. "The moron…"

"So, it's Subaru, this time! Not _this_ again!" he spat. "What _is_ it that I have to _do_? Wear a sign around my neck that screams _'I like girls_!' or something?"

"Maybe take off the one that says _'Boys like me_!'" Filia teased.

He and she shared deadly stares.

Lina and Zel were watching Subaru throughout this discussion. He seemed to be paying attention, yet he looked baffled. "I—I'm sorry, I think. But…could you explain something to me?"

A look was passed around over his head.

"I…seemed to have caused some trouble for you," he looked at Xelloss seriously. "I would like to prevent it from happening in the future, but I don't quite understand what that journalist was saying."

Lina shook her head. "You didn't do anything wrong, Subaru. The stupid hack just made something up in his mind. Don't worry about it."

"But—" he began.

Filia filled in. "The guy was implying that Xelloss is gay, which he's been accused of before on more than one occasion," she explained.

He shook his head. "I don't understand…"

It occurred to Lina what the problem was. She opened her big mouth next. "The idiot misinterpreted what Xelloss said about visiting and spending the night with you as evidence that you two have a relationship going on—a sexual relationship," she amended quickly, not wanting the stupid puzzlement to go on any further.

Enlightenment came across Subaru's face in the form of a deep blush, hearkening back painfully to the post-Hokuto days. "Oh. Oh. Dear. I…"

"Duh, Lina," Filia flipped her hair over her shoulder impatiently, not understanding the problem that had just been solved and feeling a bit put off that her explanation had been ignored. "That's what 'gay' means."

Subaru was pondering something with a glazed look in his emerald eyes. "So, then…that is something very bad?" he looked up again for guidance.

Then it hit Filia, and she felt very much the idiot. Everyone blinked and tried to find a way to answer him. He looked very, very confused, and there was a brand new darkness over his face. Zel alone knew why, and wondered how on earth he should handle this. Damn it, why did these things always fall into his lap!

But Lina got there first. "No. No, there's nothing wrong with liking someone who's the same gender as you. Nothing. But not everyone thinks that way. Some people find many ways to separate others into neat, labeled, hate-able groups."

He nodded.

"But that doesn't mean they're right. Love is better than hate, and so it will always conquer adversity!" Amelia declared, joyously.

Subaru let out a breath. Then he looked at her. "Is that so? Do you think love always wins? That it's always better?"

She blinked. "Of course! How could it not be?"

His eyes were very distant and very dark. There seemed to be a chill in the room, despite all of the bodies crammed in there. "What if someone loved something evil? What if they loved death, or pain, or suffering?"

Amelia didn't skip a beat. "Well, they'd be evil, wouldn't they? Then it's not really love. Loving death would be like hating life, right?"

Xelloss shook his head. "Not necessarily. Everything has to die sometime, or else there wouldn't be room for new life. Death isn't evil."

"Well, in that case—"

"But murder is," Subaru said. "Right? Isn't it wrong to kill people? Even evil people?"

To avoid another deeper, darker discussion, they all just murmured agreement.

"Death seems to work perfectly well by itself; it doesn't need any more help," Filia pointed out. They all laughed, the humorous break was so welcome.

But Subaru didn't laugh, and Zel thought he heard, amidst the mirth, the boy say, "Why do we have these feelings, then?" But it was clear that he did not expect anyone to hear, let alone answer.

After that, Lina declared it gold to continue reading the interview. Here it goes…where was I…? Oh, yeah:

"You and Val okay with taking care of my kit and all?

"As usual, yes. Call in the morning and let me know if you need a lift back."

"Sylphiel might be able to. We need to go over the math for the exam on Monday?" Xelloss asked. He must be the serious one, he was the only one mentioning school at all.

Zelgadiss shrugged his indifference.

Xelloss checked his watch and glanced around. "We need…hey, Lina, what time's tomorrow's gig?"

"8:00," she hollered from the other end of the stage.

Gourry looked down at me and explained, "We got the idea to get together, as a band, from listening to bad stuff at a Halloween dance last year."

"You are telling me his band has only been playing together for a year? That's incredible!"

Gourry grinned, "Nah, that's Lina!"

What a guy, huh? "You have accomplished a lot fast."

"Fast, ya think?" Lina interrupted. "It's been a lotta hard work, that's fer sure. Not much money in it yet either. Take the school we're doin' next. They pay next ta nothin', but this year I told 'em we'll pack the gym so up the entry fee and pass a bit of that extra our way... Hey, Amelia! Where was most of that money gonna go to, remember?"

Amelia jumped up, "I don't have the charity list with me, but I could send it to you."

She looked at me when she said that, and then turned around hunting for another band member. "Zelgadiss, do you remember?"

He shrugged again, then quipped, "Benefit for insane principal fund?"

I moved up close and personal to the jokester guy, Zelgadiss. I must say, his appearance is...striking in close quarters. He must not be touchy about it, since he draws attention to himself. So I tell him, "I don't know much about stage makeup, but the scars are a bit over the top, I think, even for rockers."

Touching one dominant scar on his chin, the 'elf' guy replied with a smirk, "Got me there. I had to check for a minute. Looks like that one's placed properly."

I couldn't read him well enough to know if he was pulling my leg entirely or not. I decided to plow ahead and ask him about his future.

Without a pause, he said, "Call me Zel. Currently, my plans are to become a doctor...perhaps...a brain surgeon." With his teasing smile clearly evident now, I realized that he had been testing my gullibility.

"Yeah, thanks." I smiled in return. So, I found the funny guy. Always one of those in a bunch.

As for the future? My money's on the bass playing construction guy and the singing dietitian! In the meantime though, if you have the opportunity to catch one of their concerts around town, you ought to go. You will not be disappointed in the money spent to hear this newest Seyruun sensation, the Slayers.

That's it. End article," Lina said.

They continued to rip apart the article for another hour over milk and cake, which Subaru did not partake in, preferring his tea, as Zel did. Amelia asked Subaru if he still had contacts in Atlas City. He did. "We'll be driving up to record several times this month and next. Maybe you'd like to join us?"

The barest smile turned up the corners of his mouth. "That would be…very nice. Thank you."

Lina then reminded everyone of the importance of sleep prior to their two-shift gig the next day. Amid groans and smiles, the Slayers parted company with the strange, kind-hearted boy for the week.

At least he smiled. A little. He had not for a very long time.

* * *

In another part of town, Mr. Dynast Grauscherra was keeping company with Miss Sherra at his apartment.

"I don't know. None of them seem capable of knowing which way to point a gun, much less load one and fire it at a target. And these seemed to be most important names! I haven't even spoken to three of the girls, but I can't imagine…"

"I agree," Sherra said. "The blonde hulk is on the fencing team, but even his teammates don't think he has a killer instinct to be much of a threat to them! That other little guy, Zel-whatever. He's on the team too, and is quite skilled, but he's no priest. Didn't they think he was a priest of some sort?"

"The Red Priest. That man's been dead for years. These agents are so out of date! Where they come up with this ridiculous stuff, I don't know. Why, they associate that little squirt of a girl, Lina, with the CIA. All she has on her mind is some musical project and boys—one boy, that…Xelloss character. Syndicate mogul! Ha! That wimpy kid! He's a…_dancer_, Sherra. A **daaan-cer**, if you know what I mean? Head of the syndicate! His last name is right but, my gods… Gods! I just love this insanity! And that's what they stick me with! This incredibly asinine mission, with inaccurate facts like these! Where do they dig up their informants, do you think? Oh! Yes, and Val _Gaav_! _Gaav_'s dead too. They even listed him as one of the guys these people were supposed to kill! They can't even get the players straight, forget the actual _particulars_! Ludicrousness, simple and plain!"

Sherra agreed and tried to sooth his harried, but not especially clever mind while refilling his wineglass. It wasn't difficult.

* * *

From the Authors:

Seyruun High Jinx now has a home! Ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Frog? No? Well, you can anyway now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. Hope to see you there! --KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Fifteen.


	16. Fixing a Hole Where the Pain Gets In

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 16 **

**Fixing a Hole Where the Pain Gets In…**

_"He's feeling very bad right now. I just think you should know._"-- Zel

* * *

The break up:

The next evening, the Slayers were back at work, playing music, doing what they liked most to do.

It was the new Lina and Xelloss duet. Joey didn't seem the least bit nervous as he took up his spot on Xelloss' vacated throne. He was about the same size as the older young man, so he had no adjustments to make to the kit. He picked up the drum sticks and gave them a confident twirl as Lina announced the new band line-up.

Cool.

He set the beat with Gourry and the song began. Lina and Xelloss shared a secret smile and let loose with the tense introductory vocals. Gourry turned away, wishing to focus on his playing, and not on **_his _**Lina and his competition.

Gourry became increasingly agitated as the dancing progressed; his passions steadily building up to an explosive level. The dancing couldn't _even_ have been described as 'suggestive,' since it didn't _imply_ anything. It _screamed_ sexual excitement. Xelloss' hands caressed Lina's body at every opportunity provided; lifting her high overhead, swinging her low, bending her over backwards so that her hair swept the floor. She shouted and grinned with the exhilaration of it.

No, Gourry couldn't believe she was unaware of Xelloss' intimacy, and yet she never brushed away his hands or frowned when a finger brushed her skin.

And they _had_ to have practiced the dancing. Lots.

The dancing checked when the instrumental's broke and the pair returned to singing their duet. Then, Gourry noticed, they sang staring deeply into one another's eyes and undulating to the rhythm sensuously. The crowd went nuts.

His stomach clenched as he thought about what one of their _practices _must have been like. His little brother Joey drumming with them to perfect their timing, while Gourry had been at work with his dad. Oh, yeah...he remembered the time he had just come home in time to find Xelloss in the kitchen with Joey and Lina sharing a drink. The two of them had worked up quite a sweat. Xelloss had excused himself and left to clean up after a brief hello. Joey. Joey had been a witness to their dancing. Gourry hoped that had been all. That had been enough! When he'd asked Lina what was up, she'd answered glibly, 'That's a secret!' And laughed! She might as well have stabbed him through the heart with knife she was using to peel an apple. He gritted his teeth and plucked out the bass line with renewed fervor.

The piece was nearly done. Thank the gods. The final words were sung in husky voices and the pair drew together for one last dance. Gourry felt the hair on his arms rise with his ire. How many times had Xelloss kissed Lina in the past? She'd seen him naked. They never said exactly what had gone on that time Lina was showering at the beach house and Xelloss had intruded. Or _had_ he? Maybe it had been Gourry who'd been intruding…

Gourry set his jaw and tried to concentrate on his playing. Lina had told him Xelloss wasn't special, hadn't she? It was just a spirited performance they were putting on, right? That guy was a good dancer and Lina liked to dance. Xelloss was dating other girls now. Maybe… Well, remember, it's just an act.

Gourry had curbed his jealously, pounded it to the floor, and stomped it into the dirty grit.

Then came the finale.

Xelloss lifted Lina as if she were a doll then held her overhead a moment. Slowly, he let her slender body slide down his hard chest until they were nose-to-nose and her legs were wrapped around his waist. The crowd went wild.

Zelgadiss moved like lightening the moment his fine-tuned hearing caught the jangle of misplayed strings and the twang of an overwrought one followed by the crazy 'boing' of a broken string.

He had carefully set aside his Fender before diving for Gourry's bass which was about to fall from the big guy's shoulder. The bass he quickly deposited safely and then jumped between Gourry and the unfortunate pair.

"Don't!" Zel hissed at Gourry, pushing his shoulder away with all his strength. "Get outta here."

In a leap and a bound, the lithe young man with the wiry lavender hair grabbed the microphone and shouted amid excited screams and frenzied hollers from the wild crowd, "Break! Take fifteen and we'll be back for the second half!"

Zelgadiss practically dragged Gourry backstage, followed immediately by Filia and Amelia. Val snagged onto Xelloss and murmured, "Ya shouldn'ta done that. It was hot, but ya took it too far. Gourry's frothin' at the mouth and we gottanother set ta go."

Lina overheard that and her face reddened, but not with shame. She was angry.

Gourry whirled around the moment Xelloss stepped backstage, and then grabbed the smaller guy by his collar, yanking him to his toes. "Don't you ever try a dirty trick like that on Lina again or I will..."

His threat was never uttered because at that moment, Lina stormed backstage. She blew up. How dare Gourry screw up on stage! "So...you had trouble with that? We're a band. We entertain the audience. That gottem all stirred up and that's what it was for! What did ya think was goin' on, huh?"

Gourry was attempting to leash in his emotions, but was losing the battle. "He had his hands all over ya, Lina."

"Yeah? Well, he woulda dropped me if he hadn't. And so what? It's my body, not yours, and if I wanna have wild, sweaty sex with him...or you...or him," she yelled pointing at Xelloss, Gourry, and lastly in the direction of both Val and Zel, "I damned well will! Got that! No one owns me! I'm not anybody's property! I don't answer to anyone, got that? I do what I please and if you don't like that...if you can't trust my judgment then...too bad! Live with it! Puke your guts up if you haveta, but never...never blow it on stage!" Lina flung a towel over her neck and stomped off. She grabbed Amelia's arm and said calmly, "I'm dying for a can of soda. Help me find somethin', will ya?"

"Yes, Miss Lina," Amelia gasped and hurried to keep up with the girl she considered to be her best friend.

Xelloss raised a finger to call after her and stopped when he felt the sizzle of a scorching glare shot from Zelgadiss. He had wanted to follow up on that 'wild, sweaty sex' lead, but thought better of it in retrospect.

"Miss Lina, you didn't really mean that!" Amelia gasped.

"I sure as hell did!" Lina snapped back. "I call all the shots around here! And absolutely no one will ever possess me!"

Amelia agreed emphatically, "Of course not! Me neither! But that wasn't the part I meant." She dropped her voice and covered her mouth with her hand. "You aren't going to...you know... sleep with one of your friends?"

Whether or not Lina heard Amelia, she didn't answer. She was lost in the crowd around the concession booth demanding a cold soda NOW.

Now, Gourry felt very bad about the incident. He was not a dumb guy. He had intellectual depth but sometimes this was confused with stupidity because he was not quick witted. He was slow and contemplative. Ask him a question and he might take a moment to consider his answer before opening his mouth. His friends had learned to respect the young man's thoughtful responses. Gourry might not say much, but what he did say was worth listening to and showed careful consideration. That's why he felt so bad about what had happened; he had let his emotions take over. It wasn't that he didn't like Xelloss either. He admired the glib and articulate guy who was not afraid to go for what he wanted despite the lack of encouragement. At least Gourry didn't _think_ Lina was interested in a romantic relationship with Xelloss. But…maybe she was and couldn't admit it to herself?

That thought didn't bring Gourry any cheer either. Right now nothing did. He had become seriously jealous and let it show, but had tried to disguise it as concern for Lina. Or at least he was afraid that that was what she thought. He'd really messed up.

Val, of all people, concerned himself with young Joey. He steered Joey away from the excitement and flooded his brain with a combination of praise, curiosity (doesn't it hurt like hell to have that lip stud?), and sudden changes of topic.

"Awesome, dude! Yer must have practiced lots, huh? Notice how much better it sounds on this new kit of his? Bigger bass drum, for one, and the entire cymbal collection is different. Yeah, that one's brighter sounding…" Val was saying.

So the Xelloss-Lina-Gourry interaction mostly by-passed Joey. Which was a good thing, considering that Gourry was his much admired big brother and Lina his brother's girlfriend (well, that's what he thought!) and Xelloss his idol.

Soon, Zelgadiss and Gourry joined them. Gourry seemed numb, but with a prompt from Zel, congratulated his little brother for doing a good job.

"Yeah, that was so cool! I can see why you wanna do this!" Joey cried out to Gourry. "I can't wait for the next set to do it again! Think Xelloss will let me do more?"

Gourry shook his head and walked away. Lina. Yes, she would insist that they do it again tonight. Better go replace that string he broke…

Zel and Val exchanged meaningful glances. In a millisecond, Val agreed to watch Gourry and Xelloss, who was now chatting happily away with Joey, while Zel accepted his duty to go 'check on Lina'. Filia and Sylphiel, unsure which way to turn, had joined Amelia.

Zel located Lina using his heat sensors. She was explosive. She did seem to cool a few degrees under his frosty glare, however. "You tell them to assemble."

"Assemble. As in the troops?" he asked acidly.

"Yes. I'm gonna lay down the rules for the band from here on out. They can take'em or leave. That's it."

"Fine, Lina, but don't forget that Gourry's younger brother is here, and he's clueless about what transpired."

"Then you take him for a five minute walk for air and water as soon as everyone is…"

"_Assembled_. I did hear you the first time." He raked over her face with another cool look, and then added, "He's feeling very bad right now. I just think you should know." Zel was torn. He loved Gourry as the great guy he was and Xelloss like a brother. He knew Gourry's heart and Xelloss' soul. He couldn't take sides against or for either one.

"Who? Which one?"

"Gourry, who else?" But then Zel left it at that. Both guys were his friends. He sighed and returned to backstage, checking his watch. He located everyone and as Lina entered the arena like a general, he withdrew, pulling Joey along beside him. "You need water or you'll pass out from dehydration. Come with me."

Lina stood in front of the remaining Slayers. She cleared her throat then began her tirade. It consisted mostly of 'my way or the highway' type phases. Her eyes met Amelia's, who smiled weakly and held up two fingers—two minutes until they go back on.

"Okay, listen. This band, you, my friends, mean everything to me. I don't want any of you to leave. I don't want the band to break up or change at all, but…I can't feel like I gotta tip toe around yer feelings all the time. I got feelings too, ya know that? I won't be a part of any of you hurting each other. We have experienced tragedy together. We share dark secrets. We cannot harbor hatred. We just cannot! It will tear us apart!

"So finish the gig tonight, like the pros we always have been, through thick and through thin…and then think some. We gotta weeks of work ahead of us then we do the CDs then the musical… We're gonna be workin' close. Think about it. Can you do it? Can you do it and not kill one another? Ya got all week to think about it. If ya can't…if ya wanna split, tell me. If I gotta find a replacement, then tell me-- **soon**. I-it would be hard and awful and I really, really don't wanna do that, but I will if it preserves the rest of the band. Now, that's all I'm gonna say 'cause Zel and Joey are comin' back and we gotta job to finish tonight. Okay? Can we do this?"

Gourry nodded, as did Xelloss and Val, Filia and Amelia and Sylphiel. They were quiet, but they agreed.

The second set seemed longer. Maybe that was because their spirits were a bit low. They still put on a solid show. And Xelloss was less smiley, Amelia less cheerful, and Lina a bit less exuberant, but that could have been because they were a little tired as well. Joey gave it his best shot and filled in for Xelloss just fine. Gourry decided he could be proud of his little brother for honoring his agreement and attempted to disregard Xelloss and Lina's dancing. Then the song was over and they moved on to the next song—as if nothing had happened.

But something had. A rift had opened up in the close-knit group. Would anything draw them together again? Or would it only widen further, causing the band to simply unravel and fall apart?

* * *

Consideration, decisions:

It took a few days for Lina's words to sink in: I call the shots. Stay or leave. The Slayers were on the cusp of stardom, but could they survive long enough to see that brilliant future? Well, Amelia would stick with Lina regardless. She called and told her so that very night.

"I'm sure everyone wants us to go on. Mr. Gourry and Mr. Xelloss just have to work things out…and can do it. I just know they can!"

Lina wasn't so sure.

Zelgadiss also made it clear the next day that he would remain the lead guitarist until Lina kicked him out.

"I never thought we'd do so well, as a band, but now…I do what I do—which is whatever you tell me to, pretty much-- for as long as you say to. All right? Anything else you want from me? A blood bond?" he asked with a smirk.

"Already got that, long time ago in the tree house. Remember?" she grinned.

He blushed slightly. "Of course, but that wasn't really…"

"Yeah, sure. After I pulled that huge sliver of wood out of your pinkie finger you rubbed the blood—all two drops of it—into my skinned knee and said…"

"I know what I said," he interrupted her. That was embarrassing stuff. "It _was_ a big splinter, wasn't it?"

Her voice softened. Poor Zel, he was a softy…once. "Yeah, it really was big."

He raised his luminous eyes and looked into hers thankful for her sensitivity, for once. He still was a softy, deep inside. "Has anyone told you they wanted to quit?"

"No," she said shaking her head, "But I've only spoken to you and Amelia so far."

He placed a hand on her shoulder in one of his rare (but becoming less so all the time) caring gestures, "They'll all come around. You'll see."

"Yeah? I'm not so sure," Lina sighed and they parted.

* * *

Filia and Sylphiel assured her that they wanted only to sing, as long as the rest of the band was there to play the music.

"Lina, you know we're with you as long as the rest of the guys are too. I mean, there's no band without the guys, right? So, are they all on board yet?" Filia asked.

"Only Zel, so far, and Amelia, of course, but you knew that."

"Oh, Lina, they'll all stay with the band. I mean, they really don't have much else to do anyway. They're just…guys, you know? They don't know how to do emotional stuff," Sylphiel asserted.

Filia snorted, "What about Xelloss? He's _all_ about emotions. He just sucks those evil ones out of me and grows stronger by the day, I _know_ it! And Zel, Mr. _I Feel Nothing_. My _Cephied_…he's able to talk to his _Lina_ just fine when it comes to _certain_ emotional issues."

Lina shot her a warning look. Filia was sure Zel was in love with Lina still and never let Lina forget it. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. You know, Zel asked Amelia out for her very first date?"

"What!" This was news to both Filia and Sylphiel. Amelia had kept this wonderful news to herself…and told Lina? "On her birthday?"

"Yeah," Lina said smugly, "So I guess ole Zel does care about others, including the band **that** much. Like I said…"

"Oh my gods!" Sylphiel squealed with delight. "Now we can't give her a gift because she's gotten the only thing she's ever wanted!"

"Oh sure we can," Filia smiled slyly. "We can buy Miss Amelia some sexy lingerie."

"Oh, Filia!" Sylphiel wailed and laughed.

"I'm sorry I said anything," Lina muttered. And for Zel's sake, she truly was.

* * *

Val took Lina out to dinner one evening and had a heart-to-heart talk. Music was his life now; the Slayers, his family. He wouldn't be the one to tear up the family.

"I got everythin' I got, 'cause of you an' all," he began. "I won't give it up…and I won't let anyone else screw it up either." Val tossed back his coke and slammed his empty glass on the table.

"Val, thanks, but…everyone needs to make up their own minds about this. I don't want to run the show, if the show's not meant to go on. Get what I'm sayin'?"

"No _co-er-zun_. Yah, I got it. It juss pisses me off that someone might…" He stood up. "Wanna re-fill?"

"Yeah, thanks. Rootbeer."

When he returned, Lina continued, "Val, if someone wants out, then it's for the best. It's meant to be. I know, I feel like we're all family too, but ya know, sometimes too much family is, well, too much. Then ya gotta break out an' go yer own way." Lina munched on her pizza crust thoughtfully.

"So, does that mean someone already has…said their leavin'?" Val said in a strangled voice. That was a hard thing for him to accept, regardless of Lina's apparent cool acknowledgment of the possibility.

"Nope. Not yet. But," she looked up and met his eyes. "I haven't heard from either Gourry or Xelloss yet."

"Oh." Val scowled. "I could talk to 'em both. Not harsh, Lina, but get them ta see that there's ways ta make it all work."

Lina shook her head. "No. Damnit, Val. I meant what I said. Let them think it through. I want them to come to that realization all by themselves. Got that?"

"Yeah, okay. What you say, boss." He smirked at her from across the table.

"Funny."

"Think so? Well, not as funny as the way you look with that sauce on yer nose. Like one humongous bleeding zit!" he chuckled.

Then before she could react, he wiped it off with his thumb. "Ah, don't get all worked up 'bout it."

She was a bit irked at his nerve to touch her person like that, but then understood what he was saying with his next words. "Yer right, they'll all come through in the end."

"Damned straight!" she said, and then muttered. "I hope anyway…"

* * *

That left Xelloss and Gourry to talk with Lina.

Gourry dealt with his demons alone for several days. He knew his heart was with Lina and that he would stay with her forever. But _could_ he, if she felt more for...someone else? Could he stand to see Lina practically everyday, knowing she liked someone else? And not just any someone, Xelloss. But, Lina had assured him, she wasn't interested in having a boyfriend. So what was Xelloss to her?

He was mad. He wanted to be loyal. He had joined the band from the start as a lark, but now it had become an important part of his life. Zelgadiss and Val he considered to be his closest friends. Leaving the band would mean abandoning them. That just wasn't in Gourry's code of honor. They were a team. They had fought side-by-side for their lives, for Lina. Xelloss, too. He even liked Xelloss, as a person. He was an odd guy, but funny. If it wasn't for Lina, they'd be better friends, probably. But Xelloss was crazy about Lina-- relentless, driven about it, in fact. Yes, Gourry was jealous, but would he let that drive him out of the band?

No. He decided that he would trust Lina. He would respect her feelings and live with them, regardless. He would also make his feelings toward her more apparent. Give her a clear-cut choice, while at the same time not antagonize Xelloss, purposely. If anyone was going to have to leave the band, it would have to be Xelloss. He was the weak link, Gourry supposed. With that in mind, he called on Lina to tell her that he would remain in the band, by her side on her conditions, for as long as she wanted. She had his word.

"Well, it took you long enough to tell me," she shot back.

He was standing outside her house on his way back from working at Kiki's place, which was nearly done. "I know and I'm…ah…sorry. I just had ta think about everythin'. I had ta know that I could be okay seein' you with…him…like that and not do somethin'…"

"Stupid? Is that the word you were about to say? Yah? And, so you think you can muster enough self-control in the future not to bust up yer strings or yer axe every time he and I do that song?"

"Ah…um...It's not just that song, Lina. But, yeah, I trust ya to do what's right and I'll just…"

"Be a professional bassist, the best there is, right?" She smiled up at him and his heart swelled.

"Sure, Lina. I'll do what it takes to make the band the best for ya. I'll always…be there…you know, if ya need me." He blinked and hoped she took that the right way and didn't clobber him.

"Good. Cause we're more than just a band, Gourry. We're a family. Tight, ya know? I can't deal with you guys fighting. So the new rules include professional behavior during practices, on the road and gigs. And most importantly…no romance. I don't want to risk the band like that ever again, got that?"

He nodded violently. "But…that don't mean I can't take ya…ta get some…cheesecake? Sometimes…ya know, when ya want to…"

Her eyes narrowed, "Like now? Or are you just baiting me here?"

"Wanna go now? Yeah, I got the truck an' all. I sure could use somethin' myself. Did I tell ya 'bout the flooring problem I got solved?"

Lina chuckled, "No, but you can over that cheesecake. Come on, let's get outta here."

* * *

Xelloss considered his position carefully. He had done nothing wrong, per se, but he was perfectly aware just how mad he'd made Gourry, and worse, that it had been intentional. He had meant to show everyone that he laid claim to Lina; that he had won her heart in some way. But he hadn't thought Gourry would react so violently or that it might compromise the band. If the band broke up, then he would be blamed, he was certain. Lina would never forgive him for that. He should quit, then, and let them find a replacement. Shit, he'd been training one for months now! Joey could fill in well enough. It wasn't as if he were a musician or anything!

What if his quitting somehow became the cause for the band's break up? Would Zelgadiss or Val quit also? No, he decided. They wouldn't leave Lina in the lurch like that. Only he would, huh?

ARGH! What should he do? What did he want to do? That was simple, at least. He wanted to please Lina. Well, then what would please Miss Lina? He thought about that long and hard.

Then he picked up the phone and called, "Luna? Yes, it's Xelloss. Is Lina in and available…I mean, to talk? Yeah, I'll hold. Thanks."

A few moments later Lina picked up. "Xelloss? What's up?"

"I…need to talk to you. About the band and all. Can I come over?"

She hesitated then answered, "Ah, not now. I don't think so, but we can talk on the phone, okay?"

No. It was not, but what choice did he have?

"I'd rather do this face to face. I have a hard time reading people over the phone," Xelloss sighed when she did not answer. "I'll do my best then. It's about the band and what you said and what I should do…"

Lina swallowed. This did not sound good. "Go on…"

"I-I'm not sure." He paused. He was having a difficult time. "If only I could see your face and know how you were reacting…"

But she didn't respond.

"I, ah…want to do what's best. Best for the band and for you. If you think everything would be smooth and happy and better, I'll q-quit. Joey's doing great. He'll work hard and…do in a pinch until you find someone who…who…you like better."

He had to stop. He could hardly get a sound out his throat had tightened so much. He was leaking tears and knew he was seconds from breaking down and just sobbing. Maybe this was why Lina didn't want him to come over? Yeah, better this way.

"Xelloss? Are you still there?" Lina's voice sounded a million miles away.

"Y-Yes! I was…Gods, Lina this isn't easy. I love playing in the band. I love everyone. I love you." Oops, he hadn't meant to say that. Oh, well, he couldn't take it back now, so he just plowed ahead. "But I'd leave it all to make peace. If that's what it takes! If that's what you think. I don't want to be the one to cause the band to break up."

"They all want to stay in the band," Lina said. "Even before your answer."

"T-that's good…great, Lina. I'm glad. Deep down, I want to stay." Then he decided to throw all his cards on the table. "Lately, I've been so happy, you know? Happy to be the real me. Not to hide my feelings or my personality anymore. But I can see that…I was being selfish. I was thinking about me and…that created a problem for you, and I don't want that—not at all. Lina, I can't change how I feel about you, but I can pretend. I can go back to what I was and disguise my feelings. I'd do that and stay in the band and not cause you any more trouble and everyone will be happy and the band will stick together and… and… Would that make you happy, Lina? I just…need to know. I don't know what else to do. Lina, tell me. Just tell me…what should I do?"

He could hear her sigh.

Man, he was so over-the-top sometimes, Lina thought to herself. "Oh, cripes, Xelloss. Stay in the band. Joey's not a bit the musician you are- not that you haven't done a good job teaching him and all but you've got years of experience over him. And I don't want…er, that is, expect you to hide your true self behind some smiley fruitcake mask. What I do want and will expect of you is what I will demand from everyone, and that's professionalism. We stick together; we're family; we treat one another with respect and thoughtfulness. And most importantly, while we're working, on the road or at practice…no romance crap, got that?"

Xelloss gasped audibly, "Y-you want me to stay and continue to play the drums?"

"And do this musical and be a part of our Slayers family, and be my friend. Yes, of course, you nutcase! I've put too much of myself into this to give up on it now, and without you…or Zel…or any of the others--even Sylphiel!—it wouldn't be the Slayers. It would be done for. Over. So you'd better not try to weasel out of your commitment now, buster!"

"Oh, no! I'd never! I'm…I'm…" Xelloss was a loss for words to express his relief.

"Good. Glad that's over. Listen, I gotta get off the phone. I'm wrinklin' up like a prune in the tub as it is. You okay now?"

Tub? **...ooOOoo…_Bathing…_ooOOoo…?** He couldn't come over because she was taking a _bath_? Oh. OH? Oh, _my_… Lina in the bath…_nude_…

"XELLOSS!"

"Lina! Yes, I'm fine! All happy and everything!" he gasped.

"Gods, Xelloss…I was afraid you'd gone off and cut your wrists or somethin'…" she growled.

"Oh, no. Not me. I'm beyond all that. I'm just…relieved and happy to put this all behind me. Um…just one more thing…"

"Make it snappy."

"Might that be a _bubblebath_?"

The phone was silent on her side, and then she growled, "Xel-lossss!"

"Sorry! Never mind! Just joking, you know!" he laughed. "I'll let you go now. Bye…and ah, thanks!"

She had already hung up.

* * *

From the Authors:

Seyruun High Jinx now has a home! After that picture by Rat, ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Frog? No? Well, you can anyway now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. Hope to see you there! --KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Sixteen.


	17. The Task of Rebuilding

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 17 **

**The Task of Rebuilding**

"Puzzle? There's somethin' brewing again?" -- Lina

* * *

Entering Zephillia was like escaping to another world far removed from the past-paced, bustling, hurry and scurry city-state lifestyle of Seyruun. Lina wouldn't admit it, but everyone could see how energized she'd become after taking a single, deep breath of the country air. Spicy, heavy with a mix of drying leaves, herbs, lavender and roses, the atmosphere took on a life of its own in the autumn.

And so did Lina. Lina was the goddess of fall, with red flaming hair and eyes. She was near to spouting poetry, in her head. "I didn't remember the place being so..."

"Pretty, isn't it?" offered Filia.

"Oh, it's gorgeous; don't you think so Mr. Xelloss?" asked Amelia.

"Oh, yes...definitely, for...a taste of the rural," he smiled, happy to be returned to the fold of his Slayers family. He wouldn't let the dirty, natural out-of-doors spoil his good time.

"Miss Lina looks so happy, doesn't she?" Amelia asked Zel. She was sandwiched between the two boys, pleased to have the attention of two handsome upperclassmen, always.

"She looks like a dryad," Zel replied without thinking.

Xelloss did a double-take, "A what? 'Dryad,' like a wood-nymph? Is that an elf thing, nature-boy?"

Zel blushed. He hadn't thought along those lines. In fact, had he been thinking normally he would have kept his opinion in his head and his mouth shut, but Zel was distracted by other concerns. He concocted a cover up story: "I was thinking of the way her hair...I don't know...is flying around all wild. Oh...forget it." A rather weak cover up story.

"Wood nymph, how romantic," Sylphiel sighed to Gourry from the seat in front of Zel. Gourry was the hunk of meat in the Lina -Sylphiel sandwich.

Val was driving with Filia in the front passenger seat. They had rented a luxury van for the lengthy trip to carry themselves and Zel's treasured guitars. The remaining equipment, which had grown to an ungodly quantity literally overnight, was in another van borrowed, driver and all, from the mayor.

Val and Zel had reviewed the material list dozens of times, but _still_ Val hoped that they hadn't missed something critical for the outdoor venue. What with the numerous long distances calls Zel had made to verify just what power would be available (sufficient), what speakers (none), and what stage (wood) they had to setup their new equipment, and the large outlay of cash they had to put out to secure all that new sound equipment, Val dreaded the thought that there was something that they'd overlooked and it would be a catastrophe. His commonly angst-ridden roommate, Zel, oddly enough, seemed perfectly calm and worry-free. Zelgadiss had said something about having a good karma streak, and so, now appeared to be relaxed and confident that all would be well.

"Good fer him..."Val sighed and tried to do the same.

"Nice sky," Gourry said, adding his observations to those of his friends.

"It's just the color of your eyes, you know," Sylphiel giggled.

Gourry blinked.

"Even the clouds are like the white parts of your eyes, see? And...those birds..."

"Flock of geese," Lina muttered. Sometimes she wondered if she and Sylphiel shared the same plane of existence outside of the Slayers music sphere.

"Uh, huh...those are like...those little flecks of darker blue around the center." Sylphiel stared out the window another moment longer, then sat back, satisfied that there was nothing more to add.

"Ah," Gourry said.

"Hey! Heads up!" Lina shouted and pointed out the window.

"I see the signs," Val yelled back. "Wine Festival, right? Do you wanna go there first or shall I take you to your fine ac-com-o-da-tions, madam?"

"Here first," Zel broke in. "I want to check out the staging area. There's still time to go back and change sound systems if necessary. You can just leave me here, if you're in some kind of hurry to roll on."

Lina shook her head. "No, go go go..."

Val was grinning though. So Zel-bob was worried after all! Karma crap-pola...

Val pulled into the gravel roadway, signaling the other van driver to follow, and located the stage. Well, it was big and covered partway like a circus tent. That was a good sign. They wouldn't get electrocuted if it started to rain. Okay, so…Go karma!

Lina and the others took a tour of the tent community leaving Zel and Val to inspect the stage area.

"What do you think? Amps here, here, and here. Speakers up along here. Drums back, singers over to the side..." Val was imagining their layout.

Zel was pacing off the important spots, laying tape on the stage floor and measuring distances. "How much cabling did we bring? We have 20's and 30 footers? Extension cords?"

"Pack of ten, up ta fifty feet. It's enough, right?" Val asked. "Comin' up on yer left, a lady of importance and a dude."

The lady had been Zel's contact over the phone. They exchanged pleasantries, and then she introduced the man standing at her side. He was tall, dark, and handsome, in his mid twenties, and sported a moustache. "Zolf's, our volunteer stage manager for the festival, I'd like you to meet Zel and Val from the Slayers band."

The young men shook hands and hopped up on stage. "I got a good guy to handle your mixer, if you need one," Zolf said.

Zel nodded, "Let's meet him and see. It would be one less thing we'd have to muck with tomorrow."

"You and that other folk band are our headliners. Blue grass band couldn't make it. Got a couple vocalists and some old timers, but their equipment needs are few, so if you want to setup now and do some rehearsing, that would be all right." Zolf folded his arms and scanned both Val and Zel's faces. "You'll raise a few eyebrows out here," he grinned, "...But that's okay. Good for them."

A blush stained Zel's cheeks, but Val just laughed. "Yeah, we sorta stand out wherever we go. Don't bother us none, right Zel-bob?"

Zel shook his head. "I'd like to set up now. We've never played an outdoor venue before and I'd appreciate the extra time now."

"Sure, just pull your van up to the back here and I'll help you unload. Oh, there's the other guy I'd like you to meet. He's strong too!" Zolf turned and put his hand to his mouth. "Rodimus! Got a minute? Great. Come here and meet Zel and Val from the Slayers. Can you give us a hand unloading and setting up their gear? Thanks." To Zel he said, "Rodimus here's got good taste and a good ear. I think you'll like him as your sound director."

"Yer the stage manager, then... fer the whole place?" Val asked Zolf.

"Yes. I'm looking for something more permanent, like with a band or something. I know this guy's who's the stage manager for the Pillows. I don't suppose you've heard of them, huh?"

"J-rock band. Play their own instruments. Music for an Anime series called 'Furi Kuri'." It all rolled off Zel's tongue in a stream.

"That's right! I'm impressed, not many folks around have seen that or heard of the Pillows. Awesome band, huh?" Zolf smiled.

Rodimus was a big lug; a true country boy in his thirties who looked able to heft the entire van onto the stage. He and Val jogged back to the parking lot, found the van and driver and directed him to the back road to the stage. In no time Rodimus and Zolf unloaded the van and started placing the larger pieces where Zel and Val indicated.

"Nice equipment," Rolf noted.

"Best mixer on the market," Rodimus agreed.

"Yeah, I used ta work at a music store. Got me some deals," Val said as he opened the box of cables. "We got extension cords in that other box."

Zolf nodded and began stringing cable alongside Zel. "May not need it. I got some for those microphones." He pointed up overhead.

Zel's eyes followed his hand. "Ah. The lady I talked to didn't mention those. We have our own, but the folk band might benefit from them, if they're any good."

"The _lady_ didn't know about them. Too bad you and I didn't get connected earlier. They're pretty good with moderate range, but if you have your own, we should go with those first. You mic your instruments?" Zolf asked.

"Only the drums. The rest we'll run though the amps to the mixer. Here's the layout," Zel handed him the diagram he and Val had made up.

The man nodded, "Looks good. Rodimus? That mixer going to handle all this you think?"

Zolf and Rodimus discussed the amps and wattage. "Be fine," Rodimus grunted. "Good mixer." He ran his big thumbs over its knobs appreciatively. He wasn't big on talk, which was okay since the younger Zolf was.

Zel watched as the other two men whipped together the hardware in no time. Val was also looking on in deep thought. Zel caught his attention, "What?"

"I was just thinkin'. We could use a couple guys like them. **Roadies.** Drive the van, setup, keep track of our stuff, repair, take it down. Big help." Val replied.

Zel nodded. He could see Lina and the others walking their way.

Rodimus called out, "Want us to set up the drums?"

Val replied, "Hold on, the drummer-dude's comin' over."

Yes, Zel thought, with a crew, they could all be enjoying themselves more. To Val he said in a low voice, "Let's see how this works out. Zolf is looking for a job. We'll have to see how they get along with Lina."

"Lina will like 'em if they make her life easier. Introduce her to the good-lookin' dude first and tell him to do some flatterin'.

Zel smiled and shook his head. "_You_ do that."

But Zolf was no dummy. As soon as Lina approached the stage, he reached down and offered her a hand up. "You must be the band leader, Miss Lina Inverse. Man, you are the prettiest thing in all Zephillia!"

She looked up at the strikingly handsome young man and blushed slightly. "Ah, yeah...Lina."

Effortlessly, Zolf pulled her on stage. "Call me Zolf. I'm the stage manager for this event. Anything you or your band needs, let me know. Your aunt warned me that if I didn't, you'd send me to an early grave."

Lina wasn't certain how to react until he smiled. "That's right!" she said with a grin. "Dinner and a bath in a bit..."

"Sounds good for me too. So, ah what do we do with these other guys then?" Rodimus held back a chuckle with effort.

"What?" Lina asked, then her eyes widened as she understood how he'd turned what she said into a proposition. But clearly, he was kidding. The man was grinning still, but now he had stepped away, directing the older Rodimus to assist Xelloss with his drums while listening to Zelgadiss explain about the solution to his re-occurring feedback problem. If he hadn't been so apparently useful...or good-looking...Lina might have clobbered him.

Then he was back at her elbow, "I wouldn't have said anything like that normally, but I could tell you had a great sense of humor. So, I think everything's about ready for a test. What so you think of this plan...?"

And Zolf quickly outlined a test plan for the instruments, followed by the vocalists, then the entire band. "Sound okay to you? If so, I'll get right on it and we should be done here in less than an hour. Which..." He checked his watch. "...should give you plenty of time to clean up and chow down."

Lina's turn to blink. This guy knew his business **and** had his priorities straight. "So, know any good places to eat? It's gotta be good and plentiful both!"

He chuckled, "Yeah. You could go into town for pizza, or...stay out here where the barbeques are firing up for the best damn ribs and burgers in the valley– and all for the folks setting up and working this festival here tonight."

"Well, that's a no brainer," Lina tossed off. "Let's get this testing over with. I can spell the charcoal burning!"

Happily, Zel and Val had done their homework well. Their sound-system arrangement would be fine for the next day's performances, with no changes required. Rodimus balanced the vocals against the instruments effortlessly, praising their equipment with his usual brevity, "Damned fine mixer."

They locked up the guitars in the van, then joined Rodimus and Zolf in the dinner line. Nearly thirty merchants and workers were staying over the night to work, to play, and to guard wares laid out in open booths for sale, and now, except for the folks doing the food preparation, they were all standing in line waiting for their ribs, burgers, salads, and cobbler.

Gourry and Lina could barely be seen behind their mountainous plates of food. The plates were empty now, and they were stuffed. Rodimus and Zolf had long finished and volunteered to take 'first watch' at the stage. The Slayers had thousands of dollars of equipment ripe for the taking. Full and satisfied, Lina had picked up a brochure for the wine festival to check over the events.

Gourry scanned it over her shoulder. "Hey, ah...what's this 'Rain of Grapes' thing?"

Now, Xelloss had been growing bored. He didn't eat much, so he had finished playing with his food some time ago, and all this idleness was so wearing, you know? Stacked around the food preparation area were dozens of bushel baskets filled with freshly cut clusters of grapes. They were being stored for the next few days' grape crushing events. In his copious spare time, Xelloss had been counting them. "Rain of Grapes?" Xelloss repeated to himself, the wheels turning in his brain.

"Reign, as in the term of office for a monarch," Zel explained to Gourry. "I assume that's the crowning ceremony..."

"Crowning?" Xelloss was sporting a sly smile.

"Yep," Lina agreed.

Filia squinted at the paper. "Miss Wine Grape. How quaint..."

The rest of what she had to say was lost when Gourry started shouting, "Ahhhhh!"

Xelloss dumped an entire bucket of grapes over the blonde's head with the announcement, "The Rain of Grapes begins with the crowning of its prince!"

Amelia's hands flew to her mouth. It was funny, but terrible at the same time.

Gourry, once the shock had worn off, chuckled slightly as he shook out his hair. Leaves entangled in the locks fluttered; a few bits sticky with juice hung in dreadlocks. His face was hidden by his hair as he looked down. No one could tell if he was laughing or crying or about to ring Xelloss' neck. He reached down, scraping up a few clusters in one hand, spiders and all, closed up his big hand, and began to stand.

He lunged at Xelloss, mashing the grapes into his hair and laughing madly, "Watchout fer the spiders!"

Xelloss, mouth gaping in surprise, let out a screech. "Gahhhhhhh! Get them off meeeeee!" Then started jumping around, batting at his head.

That was a mistake. He slipped in the grape mess and fell onto Filia, grinding both of them into the slippery, sticky goop.

"Ohhh! Xelloss! You klutz!" Filia screamed and pounded on his back.

Val thought they were having too much fun. He picked up a basket of grapes and started grabbing and tossing fruit, aiming at first Zelgadiss-"Ha! You missed!", then Amelia –"Eeek!", then whomever he could catch. Zelgadiss deftly dodged them all.

When Lina received a particularly mushy mass to the side of her head, she got into the act. She found her own bucket of fun. "Fireball!" She yelled, propelling a cluster straight into Gourry's back.

"Hey!" he yelled back. "Who did that?" He picked up a broom with the thought of having Lina sweep the mess out of his hair, when he noted Sylphiel standing nearby.

Sylphiel was tentatively poking at a bunch of grapes, considering whether or not to give it a try, when Gourry caught her eye. "Was it you?"

"Who _me_?" she asked innocently.

She really looked guilty, he decided. He glanced around for more grapes to throw, when Lina shouted. "Batter's up!"

He grinned, took aim, and let loose with a mighty swing. His broom handle struck the grapes Lina had pitched to him, sending them flying directly at Sylphiel.

"Aaaaaaah!" She screamed and jumped. She got hit. But so did Val.

"Oh, ho, dude!" Val called out. He followed that with a volley of his own. First Gourry, then Lina, then Gourry again were pelted with grapes, stems, and whatever else he grabbed from his bucket.

Their fun was finally ended by one of the cooks. They spent the next ten minutes swabbing the deck and apologizing for the mess.

"But my hair!" Xelloss whined, not surprisingly.

"We're all a mess. We can't go to sleep like this. Lemme find out where we can go to clean up," Lina said.

"No, me," Gourry said gallantly. "I can ask that _'Golf'_ guy."

"That's _Zolf_!" Lina shouted after him.

He and **_Zolf_** joined up with the Slayers minutes later. "So, who's first? You, Xelloss?" Zolf asked.

"Ladies first, is more appropriate don't you agree?" Xelloss smiled.

"Actually, you and Gourry take the longest, so you go first," Lina said.

Gourry smiled, "Go on..."

"Thanks! So, where to?" Xelloss smiled at Zolf.

"Grab your gear and I'll set you on the path."

"Path? Path to the bath?" Xelloss giggled.

"Path to the _stream_. And you'd better hurry before it's dark."

"_Stream_?" Xelloss looked appalled. He had his bag slung over one shoulder and was skipping to keep in step with the longer-legged man.

"...'Course, the longer you wait, the fewer mosquitoes, but it can be a bit slippery on the edges...mossy rocks and the spiders..."

"There's no...beach?" Xelloss was showing signs of panic.

"Here? No, but there is about five miles up the way. Too late for that now, though. And...not private enough." Zolf stopped. "Okay, just follow this path about fifty yards and you'll find a reasonable access point, just a short climb down."

Xelloss was putting up a very brave front indeed. He simply nodded and murmured a simple 'thanks'. Zolf left him walking cautiously on into the darkening brush.

Back by their abode for the night, Zelgadiss was chatting with Gourry, arms crossed. "Here he comes. One of us should go save Xelloss now."

Gourry grinned, "I will. It'll make me the hero, like ya said."

Zel shook his head and picked up his bag. "I'll meet you guys over at the showers then." He alone had been untouched by the fruit of the vine, but felt a quick cleaning was in order considering the close sleeping quarters they'd most likely be keeping.

There _were_ shower facilities. The festival had rented a county park which came equipped with several bathroom/shower facilities. They weren't private, but there were separate buildings for men and women. Zelgadiss had plotted to find a way to unite Gourry and Xelloss, and letting Gourry participate on the winning side of a good practical joke was the only idea he could come of with. Xelloss would respect Gourry for his audacity, and Gourry would admire Xelloss for his good sportsmanship. _If_ it all went well. Which it should, because Zel had his mojo working these says, thanks to taking on Lina and the DMV!

Gourry cleared his throat as he dipped into the clearing by the water's edge. It was dark. His flashlight shown over the inky surface. "Xelloss? Xelloss? Where are you?"

Xelloss stepped into the light's beam. "Gourry? I-I'm not really done yet. In fact," he sighed audibly. "I haven't even begun. I...I can't really do this."

He looked so pathetic; Gourry hardly had the heart to reveal the practical joke. Ha! "Um...that's good 'cause...we found the real showers. Hot water..."

"With hot water!" Xelloss cried out joyously.

"Yeah. Come on, then."

"Gourry, tell me," Xelloss said hesitantly. "Who found the showers?"

Now, Gourry had to smile. Xelloss was so taken in by the joke, so unaware that it was a joke! Gourry was nearly laughing aloud. "Ah, well...um...Zolf. He ah...thought, er…was told…kinda like… that you wanted ta go natural and all...so he brought ya here. The rest of us... 'cept me 'cause I came back ta get ya... er... he took to the showers."

Xelloss stopped in the path and turned to stare up at the taller guy. "This was all a...joke...on me?"

Gourry nodded and steeled himself for a violent response. But, it didn't come. Xelloss covered his eyes with his hand, mashing his bangs flat, and grinned. He chuckled a little. "Good one...very...good... Your idea?"

Gourry smiled too, relaxing a bit. "Yeah, partly. Just trying ta keep up...after that grape flood thingee."

Smacking him on the back good-naturedly, Xelloss reassured him that there were no hard feelings. "Right. So, they've got hot water... and...private stalls?"

"No, just one long place, like at school."

"Please tell me that's part of the joke too? No? Ah, well, then... at least we get to share with the girls, then, right?"

Gourry smiled, "I wish...but nah, they got their own place."

Xelloss sighed, "Oh, my...then I gotta be satisfied with four walls and hot water, huh? That will do, considering... I mean, it was really foul out there. Mud... and then the horrid lapping of that icy muck-water on the nasty awful slimy rocks. Whining insects ready to suck the life out of me, and gods know what ready to bite off my flesh! Alligators..."

Gourry was laughing. "T-turtles...snappin' turtles might be there. No 'gators this far north, ya know that."

"Okay, no..._'gators_, but fish and...turtles...snakes, too!" Xelloss continued, sharing his many dislikes aloud with his comrade.

"Maybe," Gourry chuckled, "They'd be poisonous ones, most likely, if ya found a water snake."

"Why...? How could _anyone_ actually _choose_ to go 'roughing it' in this day and age of countless creature comforts all at our disposal?" Xelloss shook his head. That dislodged an unfortunate spider from its hiding place. "What the... HELL! Eek! Get this thing off me!"

Xelloss batted it away long before Gourry even saw what the beast was. He couldn't have done much anyway since he was laughing much too hard. They never once spoke of their 'Lina competition' or apologized for what had happened. They were both going to be 'men' about it and hold it all in. Naturally!

Rodimus and Zolf told the guys to enjoy their evening together. They would stand 'guard' at the stage where Rodimus had a camper parked. No one would tamper with the Slayers equipment over their dead bodies.

"Hope it doesn't come to that," Lina muttered. Those two guys had no idea how close others had come to death protecting the Slayers.

Clean and shiny, the Slayers gathered around a campfire. Not a messy, down-in-the-dirt one, but a professionally built, surrounded-by-large-flat-rocks, and encircled by well-worn log benches campfire. A welcome sight. Gourry, Lina, Filia, Sylphiel, and Xelloss used the fire's warmth to dry their voluminous quantities of hair.

"So," Xelloss began, "am I the last to know, or is there no actual place for us to sleep tonight?"

Lina sat up abruptly, flinging her hair backwards in a red waterfall. "We gotta place."

"Oh? I see." He held his hair towel and gave Lina his full attention. "And this place, is it far and indoors with beds? Or..?"

"Or." She was brushing it out, stating with the endless ends.

"Or. Just...'or'?" He smiled in a bemused way. He guessed that he would be the butt of several jokes for the next few days. Well, then...

"Over there, Mr. Xelloss." Amelia pointed to a circus-style tent whose broad black and white stripes were visible in the glowing light from the many fires and lanterns dotted about the campground. It was one of several dozen. "We have one all to ourselves."

"We do?" A grin spread across his face. "How nice for us. What, pray, will the rest of these guys do then?"

Lina shook her head thinking that joke was getting old.

"Oh!" Amelia scrunched up her nose. "That's not what I meant, and you _know_ it! All of us, Mr. Xelloss, get to share it!"

He smiled, "Even better, don't you agree? The more the merrier!"

"Well, keep your merry-making out of the tent. It's for sleeping," Lina declared. "Party all you want, but not in there."

"Party here, sleep there. Got it," Gourry repeated with a nod her way.

"Yeah, if I don't get my beauty sleep, I turn into a real beast." Lina jiggled her brush at the fire.

Val growled and pretended to claw at her in his best beast imitation.

"Oooh, scary guy, Vally-boy," Xelloss laughed.

Filia ran her fingers up Xelloss' spine, making them dance like a spider.

"Aaaaah!" He cried out, jumping and twisting to see what was on his back.

"Guess _I'm_ the scary one," Filia smiled smugly.

Xelloss was breathing heavily now, his nerves jarred. "You're only _lucky_. I already had one spider run-in already, and that one died for his grievous act upon touching my person. I hate them...on me."

"Lina hates slugs," Gourry confided without thinking. "Ouch!"

"Guess you hate them too!" Xelloss giggled.

Gourry smiled and rubbed his arm where Lina's punch, or 'slug', had landed.

"Leave me out of this," she warned. Then to change the subject, she said, "Time for a story."

"Xelloss has one we all should hear," Zel spoke up suddenly.

"My turn? Ah, well..." Xelloss pretended to put on his thinking cap. "...Let me think..."

"Oh gods..." Filia sighed loudly. "Just tell us something out of your dark and twisted past in the nuthouse. That'll do for, you know, the horror story of the night."

He smiled sweetly, "I could do that, but I think you'll find this one much more interesting." He looked around, checking that they were alone, then down at his hands before beginning. "Once upon a time there was a dysfunctional family..."

"So, this is going to be autobiographical, after all?" Filia asked.

"Yes and no. You'll have to wait and see, okay?" he smiled and continued. "This family wasn't really an ordinary family, like the kind that lives together and all, but a cluster of individuals assembled and knit into a ménage by greed."

"Sounds like your syndicate; ah, that is, _the_ syndicate," Filia amended.

"Let's just _call_ it the syndicate then!" Xelloss said with a laugh. "So, this family syndicate had several higher-ups that pretty much ran the whole shebang. Let's call that the Club Syn."

"Appropriately," Filia nodded.

"Now, the club members rarely all hung out together, preferring to spread out across the planet and hold court in their own jurisdictions. Sometimes that wasn't good enough. One would play dirty and have to get put down. To my recollection that only happened one time. Gaav was run out of the club, forced to open his own private, shoddy little lodge for bad boys." Xelloss looked askance at Val, who nodded in understanding.

"That kept the others in line. They had to keep one another's secrets, occasionally come to a family member's aid or subvert another's plans which may have resulted in an imbalance of power. Balance of power– that was important."

"I thought the syndicate was all about creating chaos. Wouldn't an imbalance be more likely?" Filia asked.

"Outside the syndicate, yes that would be desirable, but within, turmoil was minimized continuously. That was done mostly by intermarriages. You marry my daughter, and you can share the rights to...these gold mines– for example. So, Club Syn remained stable as offspring born to once-rivals rose in the ranks to take over where their parents left off. Sometimes these bloodlines became very...blurred. 'Who should get what piece of which inheritance pie?' became a reoccurring issue for debate at club meetings."

"I thought that thing you wore showed it all," Gourry commented.

"The pendant? Yes, but it symbolizes only the elite. The rest of the riff-raff is too many to record on a stamp that small," Filia answered. "I mean, it's the same for us too."

"That's right!" Xelloss smiled again. "They haven't even made up new ones to reflect the change in power, which is the problem now." He looked over quickly at Zel then said, "And I'll get to that in a minute. First, some more interesting pieces of the puzzle."

"Puzzle? There's somethin' brewing again?" Lina asked suspiciously.

"He's gettin' ta that, he just said," Val snapped. "Let him tell this his way." Val wanted to learn more about the syndicate and he knew Xelloss had learned some new facts, a few of which he had already passed on to himself and Zel a few nights before.

Lina nodded and waved for Xelloss to continue.

"Let's look at the Club Syn membership, shall we? First we had Zelas, Gaav, and Phibrizzo..."

"How about that Seymore guy that died at the end of spring? Wasn't he one of them too?" Gourry asked.

"Saygram was really just an underling of Phibrizzo's, so no, he doesn't count," Xelloss said. "Gaav, we know ran afoul and got bumped from the elite club. He wasn't replaced, although Val was his planned underling."

Xelloss paused. He had spoken to Val about this earlier so as not to spring anything on him of such a sensitive nature. "Of course, Val wasn't 'pure enough' for them all, but Zelas saw his potential, especially as his true heritage became known. She was very close to having, in her mind, Val, me and Zelgadiss all in training under her at the same time."

"Now, why did you bring Zel into all this?" Lina interrupted. "His direct lineage is pretty weak. I mean, your father wasn't even part of the club, right?"

"Right. He would start his own organization later as the DARKSTAR character. But you meant that his bloodlines to Zelgadiss were pretty dilute, and of little merit...had that been all there was to it..."

Now Xelloss had everyone's attention!

"But before I get into that part, I need to explain about the other club members. Okay...Zelas, Gaav, Phibrizzo... Ah, yes, the Dauphin du Mer, or the Deep Sea Dauphin family. Currently its headed by a crazy lady who just happens to go by the name Merasea Dauphin. Zelas threatened once to send me off to work for her." He smiled shyly and looked down to add, "She keeps men only as eunuchs. Zelas was peeved at me at the time for not conforming to her wishes. She said it was time for me to visit...my aunt."

"Aunt? Like in Zelas' sister? The crazy lady?" Lina burst out with surprise.

"Yes. The Metallium line was 'enriched' shall we say by many of the others. In fact, I believe we were unsullied only by the Gaav link." Xelloss was interrupted again.

"But if your son married Val's daughter, that would complete it all?" Sylphiel added jubilantly, then giggled nervously, "If either of you had children, you know..."

Xelloss swallowed back a snippy retort, saying instead, "Ah...sure...anyway... My father married Zelas in a last ditch kinda attempt to grow the Metallium family into the most powerful organization, his first attempt ending too soon..."

"You mean your older sister wasn't all gung-ho for the syndicate life?" Filia asked with a laugh.

"No, she wasn't. She married out of the syndicate, into one of the most powerful White Shrine families possible."

"That's Zel's mom, huh?" Gourry asked to be sure he was following all the story so far. "That musta made her dad...er, yer dad too, pretty mad, huh?"

With a sharp look in Zel's direction, Lina asked, "You think he tried to kill...did kill his own daughter for marrying outside the preferred family membership?"

Xelloss nodded slowly. "It gets more complex."

Lina narrowed her eyes. "Something's happened, hasn't it? You know something you're withholding, aren't you?"

Zelgadiss, silent for the longest time intervened. "He and I had suspicions..."

"Yeah, me too," added Val.

"About Grauscherra..."

"That really cute principal?" Sylphiel asked.

"Ah, the principal, yes," Zel said with a blush. He couldn't help it, but there were times when he blushed at every annoyance. "After my interview in his office, I saw a paper I wanted to get a closer look at, so we... went in after hours..."

"We? Who is this 'we' person?" Lina asked sliding her deadly gaze from Zel to Xelloss like a red-hot iron, trying to press the secrets out of them.

"The doorman, er...doormaster, I think he called himself," Gourry explained poorly.

Xelloss wiggled his fingers at Lina, "If the key fits...?"

"Y-You broke into the principal's office!" Amelia gasped aloud.

"**_Without me!_**" Lina tagged on in a holler.

"Well, yes, you see..." Xelloss began conversationally.

"We didn't want to get anyone else into trouble or...lead you into thinking we were more paranoid than you already did (dig, dig)," Zel said to get back on track. "Xelloss has keys to the place and the night custodian told us she'd let us in any time to use the computers and the paper was in the trash so it wasn't so bad when you get down to it..." Zel explained hoping to mollify Amelia and Lina both.

"And a file just popped out at me," Xelloss segued. "...which provided me with several Club Syn codes not formerly in my hands. Ones used by the Grauscherra Dynasty family."

Silence reigned. The campfire flickered, a log cracked and fell into the coals sputtering sparks into the air.

"You ssstole sssyndicate code information out of the principal'sss officsse?" Filia hissed.

Gourry stepped up to support the action. "I wasn't for it either, but...what they found out is important. Ah...well, Zel you gonna tell 'em?"

So Zel pulled out the note, which he hadn't removed from his hooded sweatshirt, and read it aloud. Sylphiel held her hand over her mouth. Amelia's lower lip quivered. Filia's eyebrows drew into a frown.

Lina pressed her lips into a tight line and she shook her head. "Assholes... You sure they actually pose some sorta threat to us? Sounds to me like a bunch of incompetents."

"I agree," Xelloss smiled faintly, "...but there are other forces at work here besides Grauscherra following orders." He ran his hand through his still-damp hair. "I just talked to Val and Zelgadiss about the things related to them the other night."

"Go on..." Zel urged him. "Get it over with."

"Where was I? My sister... yes, who was probably marked to marry someone else, like Phibrizzo's older brother, but ran off with her father's best friend instead. From what I was able to gather, her mother had a child by yet another man. She was all of what...thirteen or so then? Anyway...she left a baby boy in Japan (very sought after) before marrying into the Metalliums. My father didn't know about it. Zelas didn't either to the best of my knowledge. The Grauscherra dynasty family did, since the father was one of their own. The baby was secreted off to the north and raised there."

"You mean you have another half-brother, Mr. Xelloss?" Amelia cried out. "Oh, Zelgadiss...another uncle for you, too?"

Zel nodded curtly.

Gourry's eyes went wide. "You were sayin' 'bout Zel's eyes...?" he began to say.

Val nodded. "Yeah. Ole Daniel Grauscherra is the one. Zel, his mother, Grauscherra and his mother all got them big, pretty, blue-green eyes." He grinned at Zel, who had shot him a withering glance.

Lina was shaking her head though. "Xelloss, tell me, do you think the principal knows about this connection?"

"I have no idea. He certainly had the opportunity to introduce himself that way to both Zelgadiss and myself, so it might be that he was never told."

"But if you found out after having the codes for only a few hours, dontcha think he could have, you know, figured out for himself over the past few years?" Filia asked. "Or is he...?"

"A dumbass?" Xelloss smiled. "I believe he is. First of all, his position of leadership in his family is under dispute. From what I could gather, this 'job' to locate us is his mission to prove his worthiness. Should he discover that both Zelgadiss and I..."

"_You_. I am not in _any_ way at _any_time a part of the syndicate," Zel bit off curtly.

"Okay...that he and I stand on equal footing for the Grauscherra post, well...he won't be a happy camper, that's for certain." Xelloss' smile dropped. "And not being a part of the syndicate now, does not give you immunity in the future, little brother. As we discussed, if he offs me, you are next on his docket."

"_Offs…? Y-you!"_ Sylphiel cried out. "You mean, the principal wants to _kill_ you?"

"_All_ of us!" Lina yelled. "Haven't you been listening? We are on his hit list, if he manages to figure us out. This Club Syn thing with Zel and Xelloss is another matter we don't think he's in the know about...yet. And, Xelloss...why is that?"

"Because I am much cleverer than he. And I have a most skilled computer code hacker at my disposal," he grinned at Zel this time. Then in a mock-dramatic voice he intoned, "We went where no man has ever gone before," He smiled down at Lina's 'I'm about to blow here!' face and grew more serious. "… and cracked open a few files Zelas and ...my father had—files that I and no one else alive knows about. Their personal files. I currently have access to the entire syndicate database, which is why I am considered to be the mogul." He couldn't help adding that!

"This is crazy!" Filia exclaimed. "Aren't there any adults in charge?"

Lina shook her head, "We knocked the most important ones off, remember? One nutty aunt and one stupid half-brother are all that stand between Xelloss and his dream of being the uniting power behind the entire syndicate operation, worldwide!"

Filia started laughing, "Oh...gods...that's so...rich...The syndicate is **so** doomed!"

Xelloss stuck out his tongue. "Hey, we all have dreams! I don't stomp on yours! So, now... We know a lot of stuff he doesn't. We are in a lot of danger if we just sit around and wait for him to piece together the puzzle or have others of his kin come and 'help' him. We need a plan to take him out...all of them...the entire syndicate operation...once and for all."

"Great..." Filia grunted.

"Oh... my..." Amelia sniffled.

"But he's so cute! Can't we just distract him and, you know, save him or something?" Sylphiel asked.

"Yes...yes we can," Zel replied in a low voice. As all eyes turned toward him he smiled, "And I have an idea how to do all that, if Lina approves."

One, two, three... "But first, I have to, ah...visit the men's room."

Xelloss laughed as Zel ran off with Lina in hot pursuit. "It's all in the timing. He's getting better. That...was almost funny!"

He didn't notice Lina had circled back until she pounced on his back, pommeling him. "Ahhhhhh!" He screamed.

That set Filia and all to laughing. "Yeah, that was funnier yet! You're right, Xelly. It **IS** all in the timing!"

* * *

From the Authors:

Seyruun High Jinx now has a home! Ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Frog? No? Well, you can anyway now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. Hope to see you there!

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Seventeen.


	18. What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronge...

Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!

**Chapter 18 **

**What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronger!**

" 'Gators today, dragons tomorrow!" -- Xelloss

* * *

"You didn't tell them everything," Zel said to Xelloss. 

"No. I didn't think it was anybody's business. That my parents were homicidal maniacs is enough, but that it was worse than expected and that it pervaded both families, well…" Xelloss frowned. "Damn it all! That my father poisoned his first wife and later his own daughter...hoping to kill her unborn son...you... as well… well… that's between just you and me, right?"

"Absolutely. Who might understand the entire picture? I mean, only we can see it from your father's point of view; that is, the woman, his trusted wife, **did** poison him first, nearly damaging his liver beyond repair…" Zel smiled faintly.

Xelloss shrugged, but returned the knowing smile of shared secrets with a friend. "Yes, and that he was able to get operatives into your father's lab, sabotage it, and nearly kill you again...from Japan...past Zelas! Hard to believe anyone could be so hell-bent on destruction."

Zel's turn to shrug. "You know, I should talk to my father about this. It means that his experiment wasn't the cause of the accident. If his records are intact...if the experiment can be reproduced, maybe...maybe more than a hearing improvement medicine can come out of it! Perhaps the cure for his blindness was there all along!"

Xelloss smiled. "Yes. He might let Eris and Vurumagen continue with the work after all."

"Sorry," Zel said looking up at his friend.

"It's okay, Zelgadiss. She was just a learning experience for me. I know the difference between infatuation and love. I know how being in love really feels."

Happy for the change of topic, even to one skirting romantic issues, Zel asked, "But Xelloss, what good is that if it's just one-sided? Why not broaden your horizons? Lina is not the only possibility out there."

"For me, she is. And you know the feeling. Why, if she came up to you right now and said, 'Zelgadiss, you are the only one for me. Take me I'm yours.' – you wouldn't have a problem with it, not for a second! And not just you, Gourry would too, obviously, and Val, even! So you do know how I feel. I live and breathe 'Lina Inverse'. I can't get her out of my head. I'm crazy, head-over-heals, in love with her and I'll just explode if I have to hold it all in."

"But you will. You promised her in order to stay with the band." Zel reminded his friend with a sharp edge to his voice.

"Yes. But only for gigs and practices. I can pursue her other times. And I will. I will give her no opportunity to forget that."

"That's nuts, Xelloss. No girl's worth that much effort."

"Lina is, and you know it," Xelloss smiled slyly. "You can't deny it, can you?"

But Zelgadiss didn't answer. He didn't have to.

"And now I can drink alcohol like a fish and be no worse off than the rest of you!" Xelloss quipped.

Zel's hard look told him in no uncertain terms how he felt about that!

"Just kidding, little brother!"

Shortly after that, the band took turns, girls first, naturally, getting into their cots and turning in for the night.

* * *

Filia loved the natural world, which seemed the complete antithesis of her stuck-up, cheerleader persona at the high school. She only seemed shallow, whereas Sylphiel really was shallow. Sylphiel was really nice, but simple and lacking intellectual depth. No, Filia was not shallow, but she could be a bitchy snob a lot of the time. However, the beautiful setting and the 'country fair' atmosphere put Filia in a near euphoric mood. With breakfast over and work in the future, Filia felt now was the time for some exercise. 

"Who wants to come with me?" She looked around for volunteers. Val and Zel were on 'guard duty' at the stage, with Gourry wandering between them and the snack bar to keep busy. Sylphiel and Amelia were repairing tears and sewing loose buttons on the band's costumes. Lina was relaxing and writing, working on the script for the musical. Zel's plans for taking down the syndicate would be a challenge for her. The two had spoken in general terms, but now she was focusing on the details.

"Later, Miss Filia!" Amelia cried out. "We have to have these fixed first, but it won't be much longer."

"In a bit. I got this idea I've got ta write down while I'm thinkin'. Later," Lina said without lifting her eyes from her papers.

Xelloss was returning from the bathroom, humming a tune. "So, what's a person to do for entertainment around here?" he asked nobody in particular.

"Go for a walk. Come on." Filia brushed by, giving him a little tug on a lock of hair.

"Okaaaay..." And he followed her dutifully. "The ah... shops...no, booths! Yes, artsy-crafty booths aren't open yet, but they're in the opposite direction..."

"I want to see this beautiful park, the trees, the...stream. Take me to that stream you took a bath in." Filia smirked to herself when he looked surprised. She was passing up a shopping experience, and with the only guy she knew who didn't detest it.

"I didn't actually do that, you know."

"Sure, just take me to it. You do remember the way?"

"It was dark and Zolf led me and I wasn't paying much attention..." He paused. Filia was tapping her foot, waiting. "But I see the path over this way." He smiled and gestured with an arm.

Together they entered the narrow winding trail down to the stream. Along either side were tall bushes and wild berry plants cut edge-like, or the trail would have been grown over. At the very tops, the branches had been left untrimmed so that they grew wildly, tangling together and forming a roof of leaves.

"This is like a tunnel," Filia laughed. "I feel like Alice in Wonderland chasing after the white rabbit!"

"It's much nicer in the daytime."

"I'll bet," she smiled. "I hear the water up ahead."

The stream was churning along still, more green than black in the dappled light. The water had receded, exposing mud-caked stones at the edges due to the dry summer and fall.

It was so lovely a place even Xelloss looked good to her. Funny, he had changed a great deal over the past year. She could remember the goofy, irritating kid hanging around the lunch table, but this was not the same guy. This Xelloss was far more self-possessed, poised, and downright handsome. Despite his slimness, she knew he was terribly strong. Only a few months ago he held her life in his arms threatening to break her neck. Arms like bands of steel held her immobile, yet it wasn't that long ago that she could recall those very same arms guiding her gently but surely on the dance floor after the ballet with her parents. Yes, he certainly had a nice body. She had seen plenty of that! Those nude photos had left nothing to her imagination! And Filia had seen several nude males before...models...in her art class. Xelloss had them all beat, in spades. He was so...strange and sexy. Of course, she wouldn't let him know about that. He didn't even seem to suspect that aspect of his charm.

And yet, he was still annoying. That hadn't changed at all! Filia turned away from him and his whining rant, to soak in the beauty of the gurgling stream.

"...There were biting bugs and I swear an alligator, though I KNOW there aren't any 'gators' this far north, but that's what it looked like in the dark..."

"Well of course not, but there are...Oh, gods! Xelloss! Look!" Filia gasped and clung to his arm in fear.

Xelloss followed hers eyes with his own. There floating just beneath the water, the barest of ripples alerting the viewers to his location, was a long dark form. Beginning with two eyes rising above the surface behind a long flattened snout and ending four feet later with a slowly undulating tail, was, indeed, a large reptile. ' 'Gator' or no.

"Oh my..." he said, voice low. A smile turned up the corners of his mouth. "The boy scout was wrong, then..."

"This is amazing! We have to show this to everyone! I bet a reporter will come and photograph it!" Filia chattered on excitedly. "Xelloss Aren't you a bit...afraid of it? I mean, it could have taken a sizeable bite out of you!"

He was fearless, now, in the light of day, completely dressed and fully intending to remain that way. He could tell she was agitated by the intensity of her grip on his arm, and her tight-toned, clipped-word voice, which had sounded more like her friend Sylphiel. He moved his purple gaze from the alligator to Filia's face, and smiled serenely. "Do you want me to catch it for you?"

"What? Are you crazy? Don't! You don't have to risk your fingers to impress me!"

Really? He wondered at that turn of phrase. "I impress you...already?" he asked, puzzled.

And much to his surprise, and glee, she blushed. She pounded him on the head soundly with her mini backpack. "With your guts, you witless fool!" she screamed.

He laughed and danced out of her reach. She chased after him all the way back to their tent, where Gourry had joined the girls.

"What's the trouble?" he asked uncertainly.

Filia, dropping the chase, returned to announcing the important wildlife find. "You won't believe this! You have to come with us and see this for yourselves!"

Lina looked over to Xelloss for a larger sound bite. "What is it?"

But he was on a roll. "That's...a secret!" he giggled glibly.

"Idiot..." Lina muttered as she got to her feet. "Okay, I'm curious. Lets go."

Clustered together by the river, they couldn't believe what they saw with very own eyes. Certainly Gourry couldn't.

"It just ain't possible," he said with a shake of his head. "Hey, ouch!"

Lina punched him hard. "It is and it's there, idiot! So, Xelloss, was that there last night? That alligator? Yes? And you...Gourry, yes you, who else was I talking to...?"

"Um...Xelloss?"

"I said WHO ELSE! Gah!" Lina threw up her arms in frustration. "Xelloss, so you almost took a bath in alligator-infested water?" She pivoted on a heel and said to Gourry, "What would we do...where would I be now if he lost a few of his fingers or a hand..."

"Or worse..." Xelloss mumbled.

"What could be worse!" Lina cried out. But before he could gasp out a reply, she was grappling Gourry by the neck. "Did you set him up for this?"

Now, was this a great frame up or not? Gourry shot Xelloss a wide-eyed look of desperation. He hoped Xelloss didn't think that he actually knew the place was dangerous. He wasn't the kind of guy who'd do that to anyone, especially a friend. Xelloss knew that, didn't he? He knew that they were friends, deep down...in spite of Lina, right? Gourry knew that Xelloss could doom his chances with Lina, maybe permanently! Xelloss could win! All he had to say was...yes...

Xelloss noted Gourry's expression with some satisfaction. He was in the driver's seat now, wasn't he? Boy, he could kick that guy right out of the running, maybe for good! He sighed. But what would Zelgadiss say? Xelloss bet that Zel had masterminded the practical joke to begin with anyway and was, therefore, more responsible than Gourry in any case. No, Zel would take the blame for Gourry, and he'd fair no better in the end. Besides, what would Zelgadiss think of him if he fingered Gourry for the crime. What crime? It had been a joke and nobody knew about the alligator. No, he would have to be gallant here. Be a man for a change!

"Lina, my, my," Xelloss smiled benignly. "Don't get so excited about a little reptile like that. You know I lived for years with a much more dangerous snake-in-the-grass and I turned out unscathed. Besides, Gourry here and I were playing practical jokes on one another. There's always a bit of risk involved, you know? I didn't know really what all was in that basket of grapes I poured over his head. There might have been a black widow spider! So, leave him be. It was a good trick on his part. Quite good. It will be tough coming up with a better one too, but just stay out of it. It really isn't any of your business anyway. It's a guy-thing."

Lina had released Gourry by this time and was looking for all the world as if she were about to throttle Xelloss for his audacity.

"Besides," Xelloss continued, ignoring all her danger signals, "everyone knows...there aren't any 'gators this far north. That's a snapping turtle, a small-mouthed one native to this area. Eats mosquitoes, I believe, and other tiny, tiny, things. So, you see, I was safe all along! Now, look again. Isn't that really just a turtle?"

Lina paused in her move to wallop him over the head to look. Indeed, there was no alligator at all. Not even a ripple!

"Where did it go?" Lina demanded.

"What, Lina?" Xelloss asked smoothly.

"The alligator! It's gone now. What did **you** do with it?" Lina asked Filia suddenly.

"Me? What makes you think I had anything to do with anything? It was his 'gator-turtle thing!" Filia squeaked.

Lina's eyes narrowed. "Xelloss... Filia... this was all your doing, wasn't it? You guys trying to pull one over on me, huh? Well, Lina can take jokes with the big guys, but I'll have you know that I knew that wasn't any 'gator in there." Spinning around to point her finger in Xelloss' direction, she asked him, "Just tell me how you did that...and I'll let you off easy." She smiled girlishly hoping to soften old Xelloss.

He smiled, "It was magic."

Gourry swallowed. Xelloss was about to go down. Xelloss had had the chance to do him in, but he didn't; he'd done the honorable thing. Now, it was Gourry's turn to do the same for Xelloss.

"Um, Lina?"

That diverted her fist for a second.

"What?"

"Um, what he means is, um...well, a...that is a...secret, ya know?" Gourry opened his eyes wide, silently beseeching her to forgive and forget.

Lina froze in place. What had Gourry said? He's used one of Xelloss' lines here. Wait a minute... didn't they both stick up for one another just now? Wasn't that a good thing? Hey, it was like they were making peace here, wasn't it? Instead of fighting over her, they were fighting against her. Well, now that was refreshing! They were treating her just like one of the guys. Well, hurray for miracles!

Lina laughed aloud, "Fine, fine...keep yer damned secrets of the watery deep. Geesh, what a stupid... Amelia? What time is it?"

"The other band should be arriving any time now, Miss Lina!" Amelia answered cheerfully.

"And...? More importantly?" Lina smiled.

"Um...I smell...the barbeques again! It must be time to visit the food vendors!" Amelia cried out, punching the sky with her fist for emphasis.

"Right! So, come on, enough with the nature walk. On to lunch!" Lina shouted and broke out into a run.

"Well, I'm with her on the nature stuff," Xelloss sniffed. "I've had more than my share of it already."

"Gods, Xelly, you are such a _priss_!" Filia snorted.

"Am _not_!"

"Are _too_!"

"Ah, I wouldn't say that, um..." Gourry interrupted Filia with a quick smile at Xelloss. "He can make 'gators appear and disappear like magic. Sounds like him an' nature's gotta understanding like. Tough too..."

Xelloss smiled thankfully. "'Gators today, dragons tomorrow!"

Filia smiled, "_Natur_-ally..."

Val was first to spot the oddball paint job on a van inching its way cautiously up the uneven road to the stage. He loped over to check it out, just in time to catch Bobbie climbing out from behind the driver's seat of the Flying Fig- or Black Lavender- or whatever-Express .

"Hey, ah...Val! _Man_, I wasn't sure we'd get here in time. It's a lot further than I thought. This our stage? Cool, huh?"

Val nodded, but he was more interested in who did the spray painting designs on the van. What looked like vines, demons, rats, and figs loomed large in the artwork theme.

"Oh, that was me!" Bobby smiled proudly. "You like it? It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I needed to show the world some of my favorite things."

"Like the song, huh?" Val grunted. "Nice technique. How'dya get this fine filmy effect over here?"

"I borrowed a friend's airbrush. Yeah, kinda cheating, I know. Looks like a spray paint original, but I used real artist equipment. You won't tell anyone?"

"Me? Hell no. I wanna learn how and try it myself!" Val chuckled. "I did our name on the bass drum, but Filia had me doin' silk screenin' fer that. Mostly I just did some...outdoor stuff."

Bobby let that one ride and asked if they should set up their gear now.

"Lemme getcher some help," Val told him, and then stomped up the steps to the stage. "Rodimus? Think you could give us a hand here? Folk band has **_ar_**-_rived_."

Bobby, Pearl, Luke, Sarah, and Lee each carried a bag, box, or sack up onto the stage. There, Rolf and Zelgadiss directed them where to place their things.

"Yer got plenty time. I'll set you up with mics for the instruments and singers then will run ya through the mixer. Couple tests and yer be balanced, I promise," Rodimus told the dubious Bobby in the longest sentence Zel had heard him say yet.

Zel added, "He's right and he really knows his business."

Bobby wasn't so sure. "We've never used a mixer and all the mics before."

Zel nodded. "It's out of doors and the sound vanishes without amplification. Trust me on this; he'll make you all sound the way you want to sound, even to the audience way out there." He waved into the distance. "Ah…It's starting to fill up."

Pearl supported Zelgadiss, respecting his experience and knowledge. "Bobby, he knows what he talking about. I can only sing so loud, and my little amp won't carry us that far, not to mention that your harp..."

"Sold!" Bobby chuckled. "Okay...Rodimus? Show me how it's done."

By this time Lina, followed by Amelia, Filia, Gourry, Sylphiel, and Xelloss had joined the group at the stage. Amelia suggested that a few of them should run and pick up food and drinks while the others run tests. She and Sylphiel convinced Gourry and Xelloss to help and off they went.

When Bobby was satisfied with the sound system, he and Lina talked over their sets, making a few changes to the line up of songs. They agreed that Bobby's band should begin, then the Slayers would come on and they'd do a few songs together, then the Slayers would close out the set. This they would repeat again an hour or so later for their second performance. Bobby said his band would be leaving after that, opting not to spend the night.

"Most of us have to get back and change and regroup, you know, to pick up our folks for the party at the mayor's," he explained.

"It's a long drive back after driving all the way here," Gourry noted.

"Yeah, but we take turns so it isn't so bad. If we feel like it, we do have an option to stay at Pearl's god-brother's house for the night. It's about half way back." Lee ran a hand through his long straight bangs and sighed. "Bobby! I'm going to go fill a water bottle, you need anything?"

No, but Lina did. She accompanied the young guy with the retiring nature, making him a bit uncomfortable with her dynamic and demanding presence. Before they had returned, she somehow had weaseled the poor kid into buying her three slices of pizza and a can of soda.

"How can you afford to travel with her?" Lee asked Gourry with an exasperated sigh.

"Plannin' ahead," Gourry smiled. "I got a real job that pays pretty good."

"I've never seen anyone eat like that!" Lee gasped as he watched Lina down each slice in a single bite accompanied by a gulp of soda.

"Yeah, she's a one-of-a-kind," Gourry shook his head.

"You know, most kids at school are afraid of her," Luke confided. "Val too. But Amelia's in student government and Sylphiel's a prep. You're all pretty random, actually."

"You should talk!" Sarah, with her short spiky hair teased the other goth-dressed height-challenged, but male, teenager. "How tall are you?" she asked Gourry.

"Ah...about 6'8'', I think, but that was last summer when a doctor... checked me..." he was uncertain how to explain it much more. He had been treated for minor cuts and contusions following the Darkstar incident, like most of the others. "I was about 6'6'' in the spring when I was...er... measured earlier."

"You're still growing that fast? I'm impressed." Sarah shook her head in a combination of disbelief and wonder. She herself stood barely five feet tall and was a freshman in high school; Luke was _maybe_ as tall as her, if he stretched.

Surfeit at last, Lina wiped off her hands and declared that it was time to get changed and ready to perform.

"Okay, Lina!" Gourry shouted and parted from his friends of less stature.

"You realize his hair's longer than you are tall, doncha?" Sarah asked.

"You could stand on my shoulders and he'd still be taller," Luke countered with a wink. "Maybe even two of you!"

"That's not true. Close, but not true," Sarah continued their gently barbed repartee into the girl and boys' bathrooms.

* * *

Bobby and Lina introduced their bands to the jolly crowd of music lovers. Today they were the Flying Figs and the Slayers. The weather was slightly cloudy, which was a good thing because the audience would sit longer in the un-shaded seats to listen rather than run to the far away trees and rest. 

"Lotsa kids, huh?" Bobby noted to Lina as he wove his way through the web of cabling to his harp, dressed in renaissance-type garb with poofy sleeves, and bright vest, and a funny hat—normal for him.

"Yeah...guess the word got out that we'd be out here. My aunt, who's in charge of this festival in some way, said she had us in all the advertising sent out in the newspapers. Great, hope they're noisy. I like the interaction. Really gets me goin', ya know?"

Bobby smiled and nodded. Collecting her long skirts, Pearl rose from her stool, guitar in hand, and introduced the first of their songs with a warm smile and friendly wave. Lina walked off the stage and hopped to the ground to listen. Yeah, she'd made a good decision choosing this band to work with. Nice, steady, competent guys with no major problems...like being on the syndicate's hit list.

Easy to listen too as well, she thought. Interesting arrangements of Anime music using folk instruments and clever segues using familiar video game tunes. Best of all, they were attracting more kids. From all over the fair, Lina could see kids of all different ages, some with their parents, moving toward the stage area to listen. Yeah, Lina liked this band loads.

She tapped Gourry on the shoulder, "Time for us. We'll do a combo song next and this one of theirs is about over."

He nodded and sent the message down the line, first to Amelia on his right, then she to Zel and so on to Xelloss. Lina caught Filia's eye and pointed to her watch. Filia smiled and poked Val in the ribs to get his attention, then whispered in his ear. He ran a finger across her shoulder to her hair and fingered it a moment all the while nodding in agreement to whatever it was she was saying. He looked Lina's way, and gave her a thumb's up. The Slayers were ready. Leather and stripes ready.

As Bobby stood to take a bow at the song's end, Lina slipped in beside him, microphone in hand. "Hey! Let's hear it for the Flying Figs, okay! Don't worry, they'll still be playin' some more, but if they'll all move over a bit, we'll be joinin' them on the next songs. Just a little taste for you of what's comin' up for our upcomin' musical."

After their first set was finished, both bands decided to wander about and enjoy the booths. There were merchants selling handcrafted candles, jewelry, painted and dyed t-shirts, cutting boards and fancy wine corkers and holders. Lina and her friends would have enjoyed perusing the things except for the fact that they could not—they were besieged by fans everywhere they went! Autograph seekers and pining boys and girls mobbed them all. They were lucky to keep their clothes intact and their hair attached. The boys didn't mind so much, considering that they were not as interested in making a purchase as in making a good impression with their fans.

The Flying Figs, on the other hand, were less known and so freer to try out the games as well, like grape stomping –Bobby excelled at this! With his long legs and greater mobility than any of the others of his band, Lee was more adept at barrel rolling. Pearl tried grape tasting, but found that most of the varieties tasted alike to her. Luke and Sarah ran around frightening the little kids and creating havoc until Bobby reined them in when he enlisted them to help stomp his barrel of grapes. In them end, they were able to take back to Seyruun one fine bottle of their own foot-pressed grape juice—which later turned to vinegar since none of them could even stomach the idea of drinking it.

The break passed far too quickly. Soon, Lina and Bobby were signaling their respective bands back to the stage for their second and last show of the day.

After running through their final set, the Slayers took their bows. Gourry rested his bass on its holder; Zel replaced his Fender in its case. The crowd was pretty excited, cheering, and yelling.

"Think we outta do an encore?" Val asked Lina.

She shook her head pointing to her throat.

"How 'bout I take care of it?" Val asked. When she nodded agreement, he nabbed Zel. "Why don't we let Xelloss do that number we do in the back yard, ya know yer guitar...my piano?"

Zel shrugged, "Fine by me. Ask him."

Val grabbed Xelloss by the arm as he hopped around his cymbals. "What Val?"

"Fer an encore, let's do that 'Forever' song. Just you, me, an' Zel, 'kay?"

Xelloss smiled. "Lina's never heard it. Sure it'll be okay?"

Val smiled, "'S'long as she don't gotta sing, she's cool."

He bent down to speak into the front mic. "Fer our en-core tonight," he announced. "We're gonna let ya see the drummer a bit. His other big number hadta be skipped 'cause our stand-in drummer couldn't make it this weekend."

The audience clapped and settled back into their seats. Val loped back to his synthesizer, then started flipping switches for a 'piano' effect he used with Filia's solo. Zel reached for his acoustic guitar, and checked the pickup. Xelloss, still holding his drumsticks, stood awkwardly and smiled shyly from under his bangs. He was not used to being the center of attention like this, not sharing the spotlight. He looked around and caught Lina's curious expression. Oh, boy. He hoped that he could pull this off right. He wanted Lina to admire all the hard work he'd been putting into vocal lessons lately.

Xelloss squinted and held one hand up to shield his eyes, "So, these must be those famous bright lights of stardom you hear so much about!"

"Yeah, we usually keep him in the dark back there ya know," Val said into his mic jokingly.

Xelloss smiled and dragged the stool over that Zel used for his solos. He sat gingerly on the edge of the stool, and then dropped one of his drumsticks.

The audience twittered.

"Ah…" he sighed and hopped off again to retrieve the rolling stick.

When he twisted around for the microphone, he noticed that Zel had in the meantime subjugated the stool and was currently tuning one of his strings.

"Hey!" Xelloss said. He tapped Zel on the shoulder with one of the drumsticks.

Again, chuckles rolled through the audience certain now that this was part of their usual act.

"Oh, yes, well...thanks for getting this for me," Zel smirked up from under a fringe of bangs and patted the stool affectionately.

"It wasn't for you. It was for me," Xelloss insisted.

"You don't need it. It helps me support my guitar. Besides, you've been sitting most the evening while I've been standing. It's only fair."

Xelloss stood arms folded. The audience twittered and laughed aloud.

"Well, so what do _I_ do? If I stand, what do I do with my hands?"

"I _play_ the guitar. You? Try using them to… express yourself," Zel said smugly.

Xelloss, seeing that they were drawing more and more chuckles, proceeded to put on a short, soundless pantomime act demonstrating how he'd like to hang Zelgadiss and beat his dead body with his drumsticks. "Ah, I get it!" Xelloss laughed over the audience's noise.

"Funny..." Zel sighed, shaking his head.

Val figured that was enough of the comedy routine, and started up the song, playing the introduction on the piano setting. Zel picked out the melody and rhythm. "What do you think? Are you going to sing or not?"

"Okay, little brother," Xelloss smiled, lay the sticks down under the stool, and took hold of the microphone in one hand, leaving his other hand limp at his side. He focused on the mood and words.

"On a count of three..." Zel said softly.

Xelloss listened to the instrumental opening for the right moment, and then began:

"_Could it be forever? __Or is my mind just a ramblin' on? __I touched you once... __I kissed you once...__and now I feel like your mine."_

A hush settled over the audiance as those seated furthest out strained to hear the gentle voice from the striking young man with the purple hair. The song was familar to some, an old song by the 70's singer David Cassidy, so a few voices could be heard singing along with him.

_"Well, I feel like your mine, __And I see in your face I'm not wrong to have these feelings. __Well, I feel like your mine, __I've never known a time before __that's had s__o many meanin's."_

Lina shifted uncomforatbly as she felt the eyes of her firends glance off of her in their bounce back and forth between Xelloss and her. The song was for her, to her, and they all knew it.

_"Could it be forever? __Or am I just awastin' time? __I don't think so, __'cause your lettin' me know, y__ou make me feel like your mine. __Well, I feel like your mine, a__nd I can't remember when the feelings have been stronger." _

His voice cracked with emotion and dropped as he sang_, "And all I know's I can't let go,_ _I want to be with you...__I want to be with you...j__ust a little while longer."_

Girls cried out, a few screamed, and others started a chant, "Xel-loss, Xel-loss!"

Xelloss smiled. He loved the attention and adulation_. "...'Cause I know..._ _this won't... __disappear... b__ut..."_

Again, his voiced cracked with emotion and a multitude of girls in the audience screamed and wailed. Amelia elbowed Lina and grinned. "This one's going over real good, don't you think?"

Lina nodded. He had developed a sensual charm she hadn't realized could be so attractive to others.

_"Could it be forever? __Or is my mind just a ramblin' on? __Maybe it is, b__ut if is, t__hen I'll be movin' on."_

He moved and turned to catch her eye. Xelloss and Lina held each other's gaze a moment. _"Well, I feel like your mine, and I see in your face, I'm not wrong to have these feelings..."_

The song finished with him crying out with all his heart, repeating his message,_ "Feel like your mine, feel like your mine. Could it be forever? Feel like your mine, feel like your mine. Could it be forever?"_

**_"All I know's I want you so," _**he implored, causing the girl fans to scream enmasse. "_Could it be forever?"_

Oooooh... Now he had lots of screaming girl fans. Lina gauged the crowd's response, grinned and gave him a big thumbs up. Wow, he felt on top of the world. He dipped his head in a quick, nervous bow, stood then trotted off stage, forgetting his drumsticks.

Zelgadiss saw Lina's approval as well, and let out his breath. Did she know Xelloss had sung that for her? He guessed not. Well, now they had another song to add to their repertoire.

Val clapped them both on the shoulder, "Way ta go, dudes!"

Filia blocked their path. "I've never heard that one before." Her eyes met Xelloss' and held. "Your singing voice has really improved."

Xelloss smiled, "Thank you. I've been working on it."

"I mean…_really_ improved. That was…quite moving," she repeated with emphasis.

Xelloss covered his face with his hand, smiling. "Thanks!" Filia being nice enough to compliment him was hard to take.

Val filled her in further, "We sit out in the backyard and try out stuff, some good, some bad. This one came together last week, while we had some time."

Xelloss started laughing, "Look!"

Gourry was politely trying **not **to tear out his hair while at the same time extricate himself from a fan's grasp. Sylphiel, Amelia, and Lina were standing backs together in the center of a circle of both male and female fans.

Zel heard a volley of squeals, and knew. "Here they come!" he managed to choke out before a crowd of girls shot out of the dark and headed right toward them.

Xelloss slipped behind Filia giggling, "Protect me!"

She laughed, "Oh sure, you brave boy..."

Val and Zelgadiss steadied themselves for...what? An attack? Yes!

Xelloss was laughing. Someone was running their fingers along his ribs, tickling him.

Val's voice could be heard above the din, "'Scuse me. I gotta go get me somethin' to drink...Ach! That hair's attached to my _head_!"

Zelgadiss was being held immobile, a girl on each arm. Prepared as he thought he was, his senses left him.

They were popular!

* * *

From the Authors: 

Note: Parts of the song 'Could it be Forever' were by David Cassidy.

Seyruun High Jinx now has a home! Ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Frog? No? Well, you can anyway now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. Hope to see you there! --KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Eighteen.


	19. Discord And Harmony

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 19 **

**Discord and Harmony.**

"Well, I have discovered something that I like to do **and** am good at!" -- Xelloss

* * *

Sat PM-Sun AM, Zephillia.

After their final set, the Flying Figs had escaped unscathed and departed with hopes for a fun meeting again the next day at Amelia's party.

Lina had kept her word to Mayor Phil and gotten Amelia into her sleeping bag on her cot before eleven o'clock. Barely. She told everyone else that they had a midnight curfew in order to get up and out of Zephillia with the sun, about seven AM. As it was it would be tight getting to the Mayor's before 2:00 for the big band get-together he and Amelia were hosting.

"It's my turn ta drive so I might as well go ta sleep," Gourry said.

He had already laid out his own sleeping bag onto the floor of the tent, cushioned by a thick layer of blankets after folding up the 'cot designed for midgets', as he and Val had done the night before.

"You…not so fast," Lina said as she stopped Gourry with a hand to the chest. "Filia and Sylphiel are at the bathroom. When they get back, they're changing in here, then...and only then, you can come in."

"Sure, Lina, I'll wait."

Gourry wandered back to the campfire to find Zel, Val, and Xelloss awash in local fan-girls. Friendly types. Very friendly. Gourry caught Zel's eye and pointed significantly at his watch.

"Ah, well...we have a very early start in the morning, so, sorry to break up the fun, but..." Zel said standing up.

Val and Xelloss were sharing some vital information, ignoring Zel. The girls were whining in disappointment.

Val stood and announced that he and Xelloss would move on to a little party at some of, or one of, the girls' tents and that Zel and/or Gourry were more than welcome to join them.

"Hey Val!" Zel called out. He broke away from the group of fan-girls giggling around him and forced himself into the circle surrounding Val. "I don't think that's a very good idea."

Val grinned, "There's a little party in that tent over there. Xelloss and I are goin'. It's a greaaat idea. How 'bout you?"

Zel shook his head too embarrassed to meet Val's eyes.

"He needs some outlet for his...frus-tray-shuns, Zel-bob, an' these girls seem ta just wanna show us a good time."

Zelgadiss had managed to pull Val apart to speak semi-privately. In a lowered voice he asked, "We are setting off back to Seyruun at sunrise, or have you forgotten the afternoon party at the Mayor's?"

"So? Gourry can drive while I sleep. It don't take all night, ya know," Val laughed. "He needs to discover himself."

Zel blushed and looked away. "Listen, this is embarrassing to say, but I'll just say it and be done with it. I think what Xelloss needs is to meet someone about his age who is just as...inexperienced. Another innocent. So they can figure it all out together, at their own speed. I believe this because I know whomever he has sex with, for him it will be making love, regardless of their actual suitability for him. And he deserves to fall in love with someone who adores him and will cherish him for the special person he is, and not some groupie out to score with as many stars as possible."

Val ruffled Zel's hair, or tried to. It did not 'ruffle'. "Good speech, but… Yer just a worrier. He'll do what he does and survive. Shit, look at 'im, he's lovin' all the attention. This'll just be a fun an' run night. 'Sides..." Val patted his side pants pocket and grinned again. "He might not do nothin', but if he does, he'll be protected."

"Protected? Nothing! Val, he's been drinking!" Zel snapped, ignoring the reference Val intended.

"He had a glass of wine, Zel. He ain't drunk."

"He's never drunk wine before, more than a sip or two (what with the meds he's taking...) His judgment is impaired naturally but then add that and..."

"Okay then, maybe he'll just fall asleep. I'll see that he gets back to our tent. He'll be okay. Now, I got me some little ladies waitin', so if you'll excuse me..." Val pushed the smaller guy away and strode up to Xelloss and their fan-girls. "So's how 'bout we go party somewhere's more private, eh?"

Gourry stepped up to Zel. "Ya did what ya could. Time to back off and let him make his own mistakes."

Zel nodded. He was in a dark mood totally unsympathetic to his disobedient friends. "Let's go back."

He and Gourry headed back to their tent, the one they shared with the girls, who were already asleep. Val and Xelloss, lost within a cluster of girls, disappeared into the shadows of the night.

* * *

Xelloss awoke disorientated. Where was he? Tent in Zephillia. Who are these...girls? Ah yes... He was wearing his watch, and little else. 3:00 AM. Damn! He had to be up in a few hours! He dug around and found his shirt. It was far too dark to look for the rest of his things without waking one of the many occupants. He spotted a tuft of pale spiky hair in the gloom.

"Val? Wake up! We have to get back to our own tent. Come on!" Xelloss whispered sternly in the exposed ear of the dead-to-the-world guy. Xelloss was kneeling over him, shaking his shoulder.

Although he tried batting the annoyance away, Val eventually woke up to reality and desperately began his own rummaging for clothes. By that time Xelloss' eyes had adjusted to the dim light and he had found both pairs of their shoes. They dressed in a hushed rush, and both tripped over the tent flap on their way out. A few lanterns glowing dimly in the camp provided all the light they needed to tumble back into their own tent, their own sleeping bags, back into their own fold.

"You are late," Zel mumbled in his half-sleep as Xelloss to his left and Val to his right wrestled with their clothes, covers, and Xelloss' tipsy cot.

"No shit..." growled Val.

"Sorry," Xelloss whispered.

* * *

In the morning, Lina thrashed both boys to within an inch of their worthless lives, and that barely got their eyes to open. Val had found no blankets folded beneath his bag on the floor that night and not slept very well. He complained about it, saying that he had been punished by Lina, which he had been.

"Tough! Now shut up and move it!" She left the tent to allow them to dress, sending both Gourry and Zelgadiss in to make sure they did!

When they emerged, they still were not safe. Amelia lectured them to death, with Gourry adding his own significant grunts of approval. "And you were drinking, Mr. Xelloss! That's another thing you aren't supposed to do!"

"But we were at a wine festival and it was just a taste..." he explained defensively.

"Miss Lina said you hadn't come in when she checked her watch at TWO AM! What were you doing at that hour? Up to no good! I can tell, you look like...a mess, both of you! There's practically no time for you to shower either! What are all those parents of those nice kids going to think?" Amelia wagged an accusatory finger in Xelloss' face, fearing Val might bite it off if she tried it on him.

"But Lina said we could party, just not in our tent. That, and I quote: '...is for sleeping.' So we did! And see, we're up and ready and right on time!" Xelloss piped up sounding a bit more chipper than necessary.

Regardless, he and Val were shoved into the back of the van to be neglected for the better part of the trip home.

Zelgadiss wasn't talking to either of them. He and Gourry traded off driving and selected the music, being comrades in decency and correctness. Since they had left before breakfast was being served, Gourry reminded Zel to pull off at the first respectable looking place to eat, and most importantly, feed Lina.

Feeling fuller and happy, pleased with the gig, the visit to her hometown, and life in general, Lina proclaimed it a fine day indeed. The wayside hamburger and fries joint was the best, even for breakfast! That seemed to relieve a little of the strain and everyone began to smile and relate fun incidents they remembered.

Xelloss, when pressed to say something, simply smiled, then said, "Well, I have discovered something that I like to do **and** am good at!"

"As in a career, Mr. Xelloss? Like drumming?" Amelia asked with interest.

A strange, close-lipped smile, "Well something _like_ that, but actually, I guess...it's a secret!"

Only Val laughed.

"What do you mean?" Lina looked crossly at Xelloss. She had no suspicion what the two boys were chuckling about.

Gourry remained closed lip about it all. He wanted to say something, too clue Lina in, but didn't.

Xelloss' demeanor changed. He had been joking. Couldn't they tell? What kind of a person did they think he was anyway? His expression darkened as he understood. "Well, as flattering as it is to think you all think I'm capable of doing what you think I was doing ALL NIGHT…" He frowned and stood. "Nothing that…significant happened." He gave Zel a particularly dismal look. "You can drill Val, who I might add isn't into group orgies either, especially with underage girls…some of them anyway." And that said, Xelloss threw his napkin onto his plate of half-eaten food and stomped out of the restaurant.

"What's his gripe?" Lina asked with a mouth muffled with hamburger. She clipped Zel on the shoulder with her hand. "You! I was speaking to you, Zel-bub."

"Does it really matter?" Zel sighed. "He'll be fine in a moment. He's just…short of sleep."

"Serves him right," Lina snorted. "But he doesn't have to take it out on the rest of us."

Zel had to leave abruptly in order to cover his smirk. As if Lina ever held back her emotional outbursts!

He found Xelloss languidly swinging his legs back and forth from a low-hanging oak branch. The mighty giant of a tree rose from a tiny asphalt-free spot in the parking lot.

"Sorry," Zel muttered in a voice so low Xelloss had to stop humming to hear him.

"What was that?"

"Sorry for the cold-shoulder act."

"'S'okay." That's all Xelloss said for a few minutes.

Zel said nothing either.

"You should have joined us…last night."

Zel shook his head. "No. I just can't…"

"What? Stand to be admired? Touched? What is it with you, Zelgadiss? What makes you feel that you have to deny yourself every possible good physical feeling out there?"

Zel turned his back to his friend. Admissions were difficult.

"I guess as long as I hate myself…this way. I think everyone else should, too." There, Zel had said it.

Xelloss swung down from his branch. "Then do something about it!" he said sharply. "Before you drive yourself into a miserable hole you can't climb out of. Get those treatments or… learn to live with yourself the way you are." He was harsh. He still stung from Zel's mistrust of his behavior and was just getting tired of his friend's entire 'I must be cured to live on' excuses.

Zel just stared at his feet. "I know."

"Hey you guys!" Lina shouted from the van. "Get a move on or we'll be late for the party!"

"Er, ah…" Gourry said as Zel passed by. "Yer turn ta drive, right?"

"Yes." Zel agreed, but he was in no way agreeable.

Filia was dropped off at Sylphiel's to get cleaned up and changed. Her folks were driving up from the Cephied settlement with Milgasia to join everyone for the party at Mayor Phil's. The clan leader was standing in for Val's parents, along with his once foster-father, Rezo. Nels Lahda would take Sylphiel and Filia to the mayor's, and they would all meet up there to enjoy the Sunday brunch get-together.

Filia strutted around to the driver's side of the van. Zel at the wheel, lowered his window, "Yes?"

"A little birdie told me you are taking Amelia out for her first date," she smiled through hooded eyes, "...while we're in Atlas City."

Zel coughed out an affirmative.

"I know a place to eat..."

"I've already made reservations, but thanks just the same. Now, before it's too late..." he put the van in gear preparing to shove off to the next house.

"Do you know that there's a really superb art exhibit opening at the AtMet?"

"I'm certain I can't get tickets to that. It's been sold out for months," he said resignedly. In his head, he was rolling around that word 'superb'. Not a word he normally would associate with Filia. Probably the way her mother had described the event, he smiled slightly.

Filia understood his smile to be a show of interest and continued. "My parents got them for me and...well...someone-to-remain-nameless-at-this-time to go with them, but as it turns out, they have another function to attend that night back at the settlement and that's, you know, 'too much driving back and forth for one day', dad says, so...would you and Amelia like to go with me and...whomever?" Filia asked. "Call it my birthday present to both of you since your birthday's just before hers, right?"

Zelgadiss nodded.

She took that as a 'yes'. "Great! We'll have a good time."

He was about to point out that he hadn't yet said yes to going, but she rattled him with her next statement, silencing him.

"Oh, I know...we won't crowd you two. We'll give you two _plenty_ of alone time!" She laughed and backed off as a blush spread to his face, and laughed louder when he opened, then closed his mouth speechless.

Zelgadiss fought down a blush as he drove off. First Xelloss, now Filia was intent on interfering in his life. Planning his date. Of course, he hadn't any better ideas than what they had offered; Xelloss had arranged the dinner at a restaurant he owned in Atlas City and now Filia had set up the entertainment. Amelia would love both places, he was certain, and it was for her birthday. He just felt like, well...they were afraid he'd botch the whole thing if left to his own devises. Maybe he would, but he'd like the opportunity to...ah...well... He decided to let it pass. If he could think of anything special, he'd add that to the agenda, too.

Zel pulled the van over and left Lina and Gourry halfway in between their two homes so Lina could 'get me some exercise before chowin' down!' Amelia got out too. She would change at Lina's and get a ride back to her house with Lina and Luna, leaving the remaining three boys to drive back to their place in the van. Gourry planned to drive his mother and father and brother, Joey (considered to be an official, though part-time, Slayers member), over in his mother's minivan.

Val, Xelloss, and Zelgadiss had only to pick up Rezo and Mrs. Shearer, go on to their house, change and then return the van to the mayor's house. They had thirty minutes, or be late. Phil did not like 'late'.

Zel knew his father would be ready– probably had been ready for hours, and waiting by the door to leave– so without a warning cell phone call, he drove from Lina's street the block or so directly to his old house. He was right. Rezo heard the van drive up and was at the door calling Mrs. Shearer to grab her coat before Zel was out of the van. Instead of knocking at their door, Zelgadiss simply opened the van's sliding side door and waited for them to appear. They did, preceded by Beast howling with joy when he detected the return of his boy pack-members. He nuzzled one of Zel's out-stretched hands, while Zel's other hand gallantly helped Rezo's housekeeper into the van. Zel's father settled himself inside without a fuss, and then Zel pushed Beast in onto Xelloss' lap (Why _meee_?) ere he closed the door and drove on to his current residence. All told, he and his father had shared two grunts and a nod for conversation. In other words, the usual.

Before the ten minute drive to the boys house was over, however, Mrs. Shearer had managed to wring out of Xelloss the current status of their dating (score: Zel, one --with Amelia on her birthday; Xel, zero), the outcome of their festival event (fun, too little sleep, and attacked by fans and an alligator!), and the state of their homework (more than there is time to do it, alas. Ick! The dog licked me on the mouth!). He had purchased (How? Well now...that's a secret!) a bottle of wine at the festival for Rezo and Mrs. Shearer to share in the front room while waiting for Val, Zel and him to get ready (such a good, thoughtful boy!)

Xelloss took his fastest shower on record and dried his hair with the hair drier while dressing, hopping around on one foot to put on his pants, and checking his e-mail simultaneously.

Val showered, but only re-gelled his spikes, rather than attempt to wash, dry, and restyle completely. After that effort, he dug through his pile of clean-to-moderately used clothes, and chose the least offensive ('rents will be there) to wear. He even lightened up on the harsh jewelry. He stepped out wearing black jeans and a black button-down shirt that was only missing the first three buttons, and only two necklaces in thinner chain than usual.

Zel cleaned up sufficiently and was ready in about five minutes—four and a half, to be precise. He put the rest of his time to good use reading his chemistry assignment with Beast happily curled around him tail-thumping, on his bed.

Mrs. Shearer took a self-guided tour of the boys' house, minus the busy-sounding bedrooms. She was satisfied with the job her nieces were doing on the cleaning, but felt the refrigerator contents were lacking in substance.

Rezo found the remote and listened to the news.

They arrived at the party moments after everyone else, except for Lina and her sister. Bobby's band and families were already lining up at the punch bowl when Lina made her grand entrance fashionably late, though actually only by fifteen minutes. She was the center of attention. Lina came by it naturally. She energized the air around her with excitement.

Luna sidled over to Xelloss, who was watching Lina and smiling. "So, did you and the blockhead make peace this weekend?"

He turned and nodded, "Yes, I think so." He allowed a smile to spread to his eyes as he pondered the 'blockhead' reference.

"No fights?"

"Nooo. Neither of us wants to ruin the band and hurt Lina."

"Hurt your chances with Lina, you mean..." Luna smiled slyly.

"That...would follow. Yes." His smile slackened and he looked wistful instead.

"You have your doubts, Xelloss? That's not like you." Luna drew closer to him and lowered her voice. "What's the matter? Something did happen, didn't it?"

"Not in Zephillia. Before that...when I called Lina to discuss whether or not I should stay with or leave the band." He turned solemn eyes to meet hers. "I told her...that is, I let it slip...by mistake... ah... I said I loved her."

"Whew! And...what did Lina say?"

"To that? Ah...nothing. I was ranting and that just slipped out and then I covered with a bunch of other things which I can't remember now. It..." He paused and gazed over at Lina again, his smile returning. "...doesn't matter. She knows how I feel about her. It's just that she..." His eyes downcast, he added, "I can wait. I can wait for her forever, if I have to."

Luna patted him on the shoulder and sighed. What could she say? He had it bad, and Luna didn't have the cure. "Rezo wants you to join him, Xelloss. A joining of the brotherhood of lost boys."

That made Xelloss smile. He set off across the stone pavers to join Val and Zel for introductions. He was happy to let Milgasia and Rezo explain the complicated interconnections...or not... He didn't really care.

"Xelly!" A youthful voice called across the patio.

The weather was holding nicely. The mildly warm, sun rays removing the morning chill; blue sky with clouds floating sedately, not threatening rain. Fall color was perking up the landscapes, late but welcome just the same.

"Xel-ly!" the call was more persistent this time.

Xelloss turned and waved as Joey charged his way. Gourry was shaking his head and listening to his mother tell him to 'just leave Joey alone.' Gourry's father, a rare sight out of his home or work, looked uncomfortable in the party setting. He was interested in speaking to Xelloss, though, so he volunteered to keep an eye on the younger son and loped off in his direction.

"Joey, give your friend some space, son," his dad warned him.

Even though he was about seven years younger, Joey was easily as tall as Xelloss. He had Xelloss wrapped in a skinny-armed bear hug. "I wish I coulda gone too but my _mo-om _made me go to my soccer game!" Joey whined, totally ignoring his father's suggestion.

"Ah..." Xelloss gasped then smiled weakly. "Well, she's right, you know. Once you join a team, you stick with it. We understand that, so it's okay with us when you can't join the band..."

Joey's dad nodded. He was glad Xelloss was backing up their family's decision. He never knew about that young man...

Joey was not pleased. He released Xelloss and flailed his arms in frustration. "But I wanted to be with you guys. Gourry told me ya got mobbed by fans. Wow! I wish I coulda been a part of that!"

"It was exciting, but I can also see how it might get a little old in time. I mean, we couldn't even join in the festivities," Xelloss said in an attempt to downplay the truly awesome event as best he could.

"Ya didn't seem ta miss much fes-tiv-i-tees," Val said with a nudge to his ribs in passing. Val was on his way over to ladle up Filia's folks some punch.

Joey wasn't finished with his rant, though. Now that he had his idol's attention, he wanted to share his other peeve. He mad about losing his bike, the one Gourry had lent him. "So, I rode my bike to the game and after it was over I go there and it's, like...gone! Some asshole stole my bike! At a soccer game! Now I don't gotta bike or nothin'!" Joey looked like the re-telling might bring him to tears. "A-and it wasn't even mine. I-it was Gourry's. I just borrowed it. So now I gotta replace it and I don't get to ride it either! That just sucks!"

Xelloss tried to be a sympathetic listener, but Joey really just wanted to be mad. He'd missed the festival, playing the drums with the band, and having 'fans'. Instead, he had had the bicycle he'd been borrowing stolen and now was viewing the entire weekend as waste of his time, including this party– especially this party! He didn't want to meet any old people. He didn't want to get to know anybody. He didn't want to be nice, either.

Xelloss was suddenly feeling old. It wasn't that long ago when he would have been the petulant young teenager wanting all the adult privileges, but without the responsibility. That might have been only last year, in fact. Yep, real old...

He leaned over and whispered into Joey's ear, "Okay, I hear you. Now, lower your voice...ah...just shut up. I'll tell you what. You be cool and tone it down and shape up. Yeah. You're being a real jerk right now and embarrassing your brother and parents. Don't give me that superior Gabriev Glare either. It doesn't work on me. You know how stupid you sound? Yeah, but you just can't stop, huh? Okay. Well, here's some news for you: You can. Stop. Now. Stop and be the great kid...er...dude you are and I'll make you a promise. Ready to listen? Okay. Here's the deal. You be cool and I'll buy you a bike, two if you like, one for your brother and one for you. You can tell them that...you're working off the expenses doing yard work at our place."

Joey's eyes went from narrow to wide with realization. "Oh yeah?" he gasped. "When? Today? After this? Can I go with you and pick out mine?"

Xelloss smiled and shut his eyes, counting to ten...then opened his eyes and answered, "Give me a moment to think about that, or as my little brother would say, 'to reserve judgment'. Check with me again later, 'kay?"

That wasn't a 'no', but it wasn't a firm 'yes' answer either. Okay, Joey would have a chance to shape up first. Xelloss sighed, "Gods, Zelgadiss-ness is rubbing off on me." But then again, that was a good thing, wasn't it? "Get your mother some punch. That will impress her, believe me," Xelloss smiled and turned away. Mr. Gabriev was waiting to speak to him about something, he could tell.

"You handled that very well," Mr. Gabriev shook his head appreciatively. "I'd like to know what magic words you used to settle Joey down so fast."

Xelloss smiled and with a giggle said, "Ha! That's a secret!" Mustn't let toooo much of Zelgadiss get in the way of his own personality!

Bobby stepped back from the refreshment table to observe the gathering. You had your tall blondes and your short brunettes. Only the mayor broke form, being the biggest man and definitely dark. Sylphiel and her mother and father, which Bobby had just learned were really her aunt and uncle, were on the taller side…but definitely the dark hair and the short mother kept them in that grouping for now. Although... Zelgadiss had naturally dark hair, he'd been told, so he belonged in the short and dark group, as did himself, Amelia, Luke, Sarah, Pearl, and Xelloss (as well as their parents present today).

The Blondes… now… Val's hair was a light green, so he fell into the lofty flaxen group. Filia, Lee, Joey, Gourry and their parents (Milgasia he included) were all in part of the tall blondes. Only Lina seemed to have no slot to fit in. Her older sister was in the short, dark group, but Lina...well... Bobby decided that short and dark would do for her, too. Analysis complete.

He started to laugh. What a strange bunch of people, himself included! He bumped into Amelia mid laugh. "Oops! Sorry! Ack, did I make you spill your drink?"

"Only on my hand. No problem, really, Mr. Bobby!" she smiled. "I heard you laughing to yourself. Care to share?"

"Oh, I don't know..." he demurred, suddenly shy. "It was pretty dumb, actually."

"Oh, come on. I could use a good laugh," Amelia smiled again, but glanced in Zelgadiss' direction. He had been in one of his signature dark moods all day. Something having to do with Xelloss had set him off last night and even seeing his dog again hadn't 'cured' him.

Bobby chuckled nervously, and then gave in, explaining his grouping strategy.

Amelia did smile. "I never thought of it that way, but when you put so many of us...your band and ours together with our families, it does kinda divide up that way...except for Daddy, and Miss Sylphiel's father doesn't really fit the mold either..."

"Who was that Xelloss was talking to? Joey? That's Gourry's brother, right? I was actually thinking of the lady...over there." Bobby was now looking at Luna.

"Oh, Luna, she's Lina's older sis. Ever since her mother left them, Luna's been her caretaker. It was a most unjust, uncaring thing for a mother to do, don't you think!"

Bobby nodded. How unfair. "So many of them, er… your band members, are missing parents. Sylphiel, Lina, Val, Zel, Xelloss…"

"And me, too!" Amelia finished for him. "But you know what? We all have family and adult mentors and…"

"Each other," Bobby smiled. "I see that."

But as he was about to add an additional thought, a disturbing laugh interrupted him, and everyone else. "Oooooo hooooo hooo hoooo!"

Amelia blanched.

Bobby turned toward the noise and nearly lost his footing. "Oh my gods protect me…." He mumbled beneath his breath. "Who is… that vision of…?" he couldn't quite find the correct word.

"More of my family, Mr. Bobby. That's Gracia, um… Nahga, my sister. And the guy with her is Adam Hayate, her boyfriend. He's a member of a band too!" Amelia's voice wavered a bit in the beginning, but grew stronger toward the end.

Bobby swallowed, "Ah…well, she's… something, eh?"

Something, yes, and more…

Nahga swept the patio like a witches broom, leaving her special mark on all she passed. First, Zelgadiss received the full benefit of her attention, but as he was totally unresponsive, and thus no fun, she rapidly moved on to her next captive. "Liiiina! My gods I haven't seen ya since that dude-without- dudes ranch!"

What a rude interruption, Lina thought. "Ah, yeah…miniature golf and everything, huh? Oh, meet Gourry, his mom, Sylphiel, her dad. This is Nahga, Amelia's big sis." After introductions, Lina returned to eating.

Nahga had hit another dry well. Who else did she know here? "Hey, that other boyfriend of yers…is he around? Yeah, couldn't be far, huh? Oh Xeeeeel-loooos!"

Ouch!

Xelloss, however, was speaking with Lee's almost-twin sister and didn't want to be disturbed. That, plus he was still thinking about what Mr. Gabriev had told him. He had found a good location for building a recording studio and plenty of design specifications and he had a few papers for him to sign off on the finished house-- the one he'd built for Kiki and her family. As smoothly as possible, he passed Nahga off to someone who might really care. "Val's in a funk. Maybe you could go cheer him up, you think?"

Discord and Harmony.

Now, Val was not a disagreeable guy most of the time, just a bit rough around the edges. And when those edges were more worn than usual, perhaps even rubbed the wrong way, perhaps chafed raw in places, well... those were the times he became down right ornery. An unpredictable, offensive, coarse, loud, and destructive kind of ornery. His friends, this particular group of boys and girls, had only glimpsed snippets of that side of Val's personality, and for good reason: they always seemed to provide the necessary balm to his wounds at the right times and places. Well, until now. Currently, Val was wallowing in his own suppurating sores.

He was sipping at the insipid, to his opinion, punch, thinking about things starting with the wine festival and moving on. Last night, he'd had a drink or two, wishing he hadn't later, but he was weak to temptation, and Xelloss was curious. So they had some wine. Big deal. The fan girls came along about then and promised some good times. Sounded good too. It was nice to know he hadn't lost his touch with the chicks.

Filia had turned up her nose lately at his invitations to go out with him. Always had some lame excuse or other. Mom this or Dad that or duties here and there and with everyone but him. It was like she didn't want to be seen outside of the settlement with him. What was with that? It was as if he wasn't good enough for the little cheerleader any more. He owned a goddamned country club. He even asked her to go there for dinner. A country club! Shit, if he could degrade himself into going to a place like that, why couldn't she just...try? What happened since the summer?

So, these cute, eager little fans wanted to party with him and Xelloss. But then Zel-godamnit got his righteous dander up and got in his face. Like he couldn't have lightened up a little and joined them, the asshole.

Well, Xelloss was game, so what the hell.

Val closed his eyes and snorted. Didn't get much sleep last night. Then Lina gives him grief. At least that little preachy girl knew better than to try and come down on him like she did Xelloss.

Ah...another hangover... Val looked through narrowed eyes for Luna. He didn't want to be lectured by her again either. Know-it-all women...

Filia especially.

She knew it all. What was that about? Her parents were there. Val had brought them some punch, a pretty nice thing for a uncultured punk like him to do, he thought. So her mother, Mrs. Ul Copt asked her daughter whether or not she had decided on a friend to bring to some dumbshit artsy-fartsy show in Atlas City. Val had readied himself to receive the expected invitation; he was there, she was there, her parental units had brought it up...

"Yeah, sorta. Zel-bob's going for it. I'm working on it," Filia had said with a toss of her beautifully groomed hair. "I mean, it's no place for you (meaning Val) certainly. Zel at least appreciates fine art and Amelia fits in at the AtMet for _whatever_. Xelloss might, but I don't know…it's kinda a waste on him too."

Val bristled, but held his rebuttal in check and stalked off to be alone. _AtMet_. It was no place for the likes of _him_. She'd said it. Right there in front of family and friends. Man, that had hurt. Didn't she know what she did to him? Shit, that's what happens when ya stick to the one chick. He shoulda known better. Ya can't count on a fe-male in a pinch. Never could, starting with his mother…

He hadn't stuck around to hear any more Filia's put-downs. I mean, who'd wanna?

Of course Filia had not meant to be so insensitive. She just was. What she had intended to say was that Val would be completely bored there and that she had wished to save him the torture of an evening of tediousness and Amelia. She was doing it for his benefit. And she had not really been avoiding Val lately on purpose. Filia had important roles to play in the clan since she had come into the fold again. Real responsibilities. He did too, but didn't take them seriously most of the time. The season changes were the busiest for the clan and now that Filia was nearing adulthood, her duties were critical.

Not that Val cared a hoot at the moment. Val tossed back the cup of punch, gagged on the insipid drink, and spat it out onto the tile pavers. It was outside after all. What..._ever._ F- 'em all.

He was one sore, irritated, tired dude with a bruised ego and a chip on his shoulder, when out of the blue there came a call of salvation.

"Oh ho ho hooooooooooo! Va-al! Wow, are you one hot lookin' hunk of man to-day! It's been aaaaages! What are you doin' here with all these stiffs?"

Val was much better looking than she recalled. He'd gown a few more inches, added pounds of muscle, and a nice tan...oh, and from what she had overheard her father saying, he'd grown a pretty substantial bank account as well. His attractiveness was significant and she was just the type of girl to appreciate 'the finer things in life', as her friend Lina said.

Val's head swiveled around so fast he wrenched his neck and couldn't move or do anything more than holler in pain. It helped that Nahga was there to rub it better. She offered him a ride home or somewhere, and Adam Hayate, feeling like he was yesterdays news (perhaps gratefully), took off without a word. Adam had another girl on his mind anyway—and she had money, too.

Gourry had steered his mother on a course as far away from Joey as possible and in the direction of Lina, as soon as she appeared. His mother knew that her nearly grown up son had a 'thing' for the little redhead girl, and had for some time. She was a perceptive woman, however, and could see that Lina was more interested in getting to the buffet than to the altar any time soon. Yes, it was a shame her son wasn't more interested in settling down with a more stable girl. One with common goals, who would make him a comfortable home, and would put his needs before her own. A homebody. Someone like...

"Oh Gourry-dear?" Sylphiel called. She was carrying a blueberry muffin bursting from a napkin. "These are the best I've ever smelled! I thought you might like to take the first taste."

Gourry turned a mite slower than Lina, but from his altitude, he could see Lina's hand dart out toward the treasure. His treasure. And it did smell good. The warm, freshly baked aroma wafted upwards to his nose and snap! He snatched the dainty morsel from the napkin and popped it into his mouth without thinking to the moment beyond his swallow.

One could feel the shock, then resentment emanating from Lina. Mrs. Gabriev stepped forward at that moment. "Lina, how good to see you. How was your visit to Zephillia? I understand it was your home town?"

"Eh?" Lina's attention wavered. Kill Gourry. Be polite to that lady talking to her. Who? Mrs. Gabriev. "Oh, eh...Zephillia, yeah. It was great. Just like I remembered it, down to the smells. We all had a good time and the music went fine too."

Gourry, now aware of how close he'd come to getting clobbered, made a quick escape to the buffet table. There he piled up a plate for himself, but before he was through, he nabbed a couple extra goodies to take to Lina...and something for his mother as well. He was nothing less than thoughtful.

"That's so much for you to carry, Gourry-dear. Here, let me take that plate." Sylphiel stood smiling at his elbow.

He looked down at the plate in one hand and then at the items teetering in the other. "Ah...that's okay, but ya could do somethin' for me..."

"Anything!"

"Could ya make up another plate just like this one? I don't think I got enough fer Lina here."

That wasn't what Sylphiel wanted to do though. "Oh, certainly. You take that to Lina, then join me over there, you know... at that empty table. I'll have everything you need there," she smiled shyly batting her eyes.

"Oh, okay! That sounds fine then," Gourry nodded then moving carefully, went in search of Lina.

"There you are! Oooooooh is that for me?" Lina's eyes brightened as they filled with the vision of an overflowing platter of food drifting her way. "Here, gimme!"

"Wanna sit down? There's a table free...?" Gourry asked as he juggled plates and cups just out of her reach. "Mom? You too?"

"Certainly dear. You lead the way and we'll follow, won't we Lina?" Mrs. Gabriev said to the kids.

Lina sighed and nodded. The sooner they got a move on, the sooner she'd eat. "Yeah. Fine. Over there, then. Hey, is that Sylphiel waving at us?"

"Yeah, she said she'd save us a table and get some food." Gourry nodded energetically and strode faster. His arms were getting tired.

Thankfully, Nels Lahda moved in to help set the plates down and pull out a chair for Mrs. Gabriev.

"Son, that looks like enough to feed a small army. Think it'll do for starters?"

Gourry looked over the table of food. "Fer starters, like ya say, yeah. I can load up some more later."

Nels Lahda shook his head and said to Gourry's mother, "How do you manage at home? You have several other growing kids as well to feed?"

With a sigh, Mrs. Gabriev answered, "Yes, several, and four are teenagers. The youngest is Charlie, then Alfie, both starting new growth spurts. The twin girls I believe are slowing down..."

"They don't eat so much," Gourry threw in as an observation before returning to stuff food in his mouth as fast as possible.

"You're right," his mother continued. "The two girls are weight-conscious."

"Oh, I know how that is," Sylphiel sighed dramatically. "I bet I gained a pound just sniffing this food! It's like so not fair! Lina can eat anything and still stay so slim!"

Lina, not wanting to be out-done by the Gourry eating-machine, simply shrugged in response, and then slathered up another roll to eat. Gourry however felt it necessary to say something in her defense. "Um...Lina's very ah...she's always runnin' 'round doin' stuff."

His mother smiled and nodded, "Yes, Lina's very energetic, lively. She just burns up those calories in no time. But, Sylphiel-dear, you look just fine, even a little thin, I think. But then, that's what I keep telling my girls and they don't listen to me."

"You left out Joey," Lina managed to mutter with her mouth filled with salad.

With a glance over her shoulder to catch a quick look his way, Mrs. Gabriev said, "Yes, and then there's Joey, who just started middle school..." She sighed and went on, "He's growing five inches or more each year. He might out grow his brother here, or just stop tomorrow."

Nels Lahda caught sight of the boy. "Ah yes, he's going to be taller than Xelloss soon." He couldn't miss Gourry's wince when he named Xelloss and wondered what was amiss there.

Mrs. Gabriev continued, "Yes, He's been giving Joey drum lessons over at our house. I'm afraid he's subjected to a large amount of hero-worship…and the twins seem to be infatuated with him as well. Don't get me wrong, Xelloss has been very patient with them all and does absolutely nothing to lead them on."

"Liiiina! My gods I haven't seen ya since that dude-without-the-dudes ranch!" Nahga hollered like a banshee from hell.

What a rude interruption, Lina thought. "Ah, yeah…miniature golf and everything, huh? Oh, meet Gourry, his mom, Sylphiel, her dad. This is Nahga, Amelia's big sis."

After introductions, Lina returned to eating. But then Nahga added, "Hey, that other boyfriend of yers…is he around? Yeah, couldn't be far, huh? Oh Xeeeeel-loooos!"

Mrs. Gabriev caught sight of her older son out of the corner of her eye. Gourry had stopped eating and was frowning down at his food. Lina had paused in her continuous consumption to listen and she was blushing, Mrs. Gabriev noted. Strange, now that she thought about it, Lina had come over to practice some song…and not always when Gourry was around, but Xelloss had been… Clarity restored. Xelloss and her son were in competition over Lina! Hope dawned. Gourry could find a more apt girlfriend. Looking into her coffee cup, Mrs. Gabriev could see the reflection of another face, that of a very pretty dark-haired girl. She raised her eyes and fixed on that face—Sylphiel was looking up beseechingly at Gourry. 'Please notice me…' A solution came to the woman's mind.

"Mr. Lahda, I have never been to the Mayor's residence before. I wonder, are there any gardens to see?"

Being head priest of the largest White Shrine organization in the area had shaped Nels Lahda into a fairly perceptive man. "Yes, my wife is enjoying the last blow of the rose garden. Would you like to join her? I'll take you there."

They excused themselves from the kids, and took off purposefully in the direction of the gardens. They spoke briefly and to the point. Nels was worried about his daughter and her irresponsible relationships with boys. As much as he liked Xelloss as a young man, he dreaded the possibility of and his daughter getting close to the boy again. Mrs. Gabriev sympathized and said she felt the same way about Lina and her son, not pointing out that she thought Xelloss was more interested in Lina than in his daughter. Why confuse the issue? They did not want to become match-makers for their children, but that afternoon they decided to take an active role in their children's lives, which just might chart their future course in life…

* * *

From the Authors:

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. If you haven't already visited it and if you ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Frog, you can now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link.

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Nineteen.


	20. Seyruun Campus Detectives

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 20 **

**Seyruun Campus Detectives**

"Do we take the bait and find out?" -- Zel

* * *

Ring, ring 

"Hello? Oh, hello dear, how are you? Fine. The festival was a big success this year. Ummmm, hummm, she's a beautiful girl, just like her mother at her age. Yes, I know. And her band drew fantastic crowds for us. Who, Rodimus and Zolf? They worked out just fine. I think they got along great. They certainly did the best they could to be invaluable to the band. What? I will. Um, they mostly worked with two of the boys, just a minute… Just _a second_, I dropped my notes…"

"There now… I have their names here…Zelgadiss and Val. Yes, one was unusual, scarred—Zelgadiss. Old school chums of Lina's? How nice, right? Others? Okay, from my list: Sylphiel, Filia, Amelia…yes, the mayor's daughter…Zelgadiss, Val, Gourry, and Xelloss. Yes, all very nice kids. I took pictures! Certainly, I'll send you all of them. I even labeled them on the back. Shall I send them to the same post office box I did last time? Okay. It's too bad you can't be here yourself to see her grow…I'm sorry too. I know I just keep wheeling off in all directions here. Well, I understand. Yes, I am such a good little sister-in-law, aren't I? Bye for now, then…take care."

Click

"Gourry? That was Nels Lahda on the phone just now. His car's been shop all week and now the loner won't start..."

Gourry looked up from his book at the kitchen table. "He wants me ta take a look at it?"

"No, I think he's got that covered. It's just that his daughter's at cheerleader practice and needs a ride home. They were all going out, I guess, so she's expecting him, otherwise I'm sure she would have arranged something else. So could you go pick her up?"

"Yeah, sure, Mom. What time?"

"Why don't you go on over now and see if she's ready, okay hon?" Mrs. Gabriev smiled and tossed the dish towel over the ring to dry.

Gourry shook his head and closed his book. "Sure." It was odd but this was the third time this week that he had come to Sylphiel's aid. Not that he minded much. He liked to help out when he could, but it was just odd, that's all.

He parked out by the gymnasium and walked to the side door. It stood ajar, so he peeked in. Nice. A bunch of girls in short skirts doing flirty dances and moves. Filia was the tallest, then Sylphiel, then a flock of others. Nice. It was a bit chilly outside, so Gourry stepped just inside the door. He leaned back against the wood slat wall, arms crossed over his wide chest and smiled. Beats homework.

"Oooooh! It's Gourry!" one of the 'others' squealed. "Come on over!"

"Yeah! Join us!" called another.

He demurred as long as possible, but when all the girls grabbed hold of his arms and pushed from behind, he had no choice but to move. Amid giggles and laughter he became the central figure for their newest routine. They only practiced once a week, since with the football season in full gear they had games each week in which to perform.

At the other end of the gym, the basketball team was involved in shooting practice. The coach had been trying to recruit Gourry to the team for years. Now he was laughing. To think, all he had needed back then was a bevy of beauties! Come to think of it, it might work in future years, should he need it with his other brothers.

"Okay, here's how ta do it. I can take one on my shoulders and one hangin' off each leg like this." Gourry helped one of the smaller girls step up, balancing off one of his legs, holding his hand. "See? Now another come on my other side and climb up...yeah...now the one on top... Who's smallest? Okay..."

"Oh you are so strong. But...but... Sure this isn't hurting you?" one asked, Sylphiel. She was the one who tied back his hair so that it wouldn't get tangled and pulled.

Later, she made certain that his hands weren't being strained. "He needs them to play guitar, you know." And, when they all took a break, she made sure Gourry got himself a drink too. "It's so easy to forget and get dehydrated!" she reminded him.

It made him think. It was nice to be cared for, fussed over. No one ever really did that for him, but her.

"I think I'll change at home," she said to him on their way out to his truck. "That way you won't have to wait any longer."

" 'Sall right. No trouble. I was just readin' for English."

"Well, I'm really glad you could do this. Poor father and his car troubles. I think he should get a new car. Don't you think he should if it keeps breaking down all the time?"

"Um...it depends, ya know. New cars are real expensive, insurance is more and all. All cars need stuff, like new brakes. Just the way it is." Gourry spoke confidently. When it came to expenses, he knew his numbers.

"Oh, well, if you say so. I don't know a thing about cars, except driving one. Did I tell you I got a part time job at the hospital?"

"I thought you already worked there," he replied, confused.

"Yes, but only as a volunteer. Now they pay me. I work after school Tuesdays and Thursdays. I could work more, but with the band, well...you know."

"Yeah, gotta keep those weekends free, huh?" Gourry smiled knowingly.

He walked her up to the back, private entrance to the shrine, where they were greeted by her father. He seemed very pleased to see them and invited Gourry to join them when they went out for dinner.

"It's a way of thanking you for all your help this week," Nels Lahda insisted.

"Ah, well, sure. I gotta call home and let them know...ah... Am I okay the way I'm dressed?"

"Oh yes. We're just going to a casual place." Nels Lahda moved closer and lowered his voice. "I'm hoping you can convince her to eat a little. She hardly eats enough to fill a bird and looks thin to me."

Gourry nodded, but said as he observed her entering the front hall, "Ah, well...I thinks she looks okay. Real nice, actually."

And he meant that. She was growing into a dark beauty, her hair long, sleek, shining with good health and tireless care. Her large gray-blue eyes and pearlescent skin contrasted sharply with her long dark lashes and tresses. Combined with her slender shapely body and quiet nature, Sylphiel was very popular with the boys.

Gourry couldn't help but notice. They shared classes and the band so they saw one-another everyday. Naturally, their friendship grew and developed over the past few years. He wasn't so stupid as to have not noticed the way she had sought him out and brought him 'gifts' of food for years. And even though he knew that she had once been attracted to Xelloss, Gourry was strangely pleased to know that they had never dated. Of course, she wasn't Lina, but then...who was but Lina herself?

He was driving home from an errand. A simple thing really. He'd been in the downtown countless times right? Well, yes, Xelloss had, but had allowed his mind to wander for a bit too long.

"I should ask Lina out. Just like that. Someplace nice, but not too nice. A place she'd like and then something on campus…a showing of classic films…that would be okay…" he smiled as he rolled over the scenario in his head.

Alas, his dream world collapsed when he had to brake suddenly at a signal he had not expected. Where in Seyruun (gods, let it at least be Seyruun!) was he? He had to go back, but how? He was on a one way street and keeping pace with the other cars he was driving about 45 MPH. It was after eight o'clock and dark, which didn't help visibility either. He took the first right hand turn and hoped to find the one way street going the other direction at the next intersection. It wasn't. Just a four-way stop. So he continued on…and on…and on… Pretty soon he was completely lost. He had no idea what direction he was headed in, where he'd come from, or what to do next. He could feel panic building up, that pounding in his head. Oh, no… He pulled over and stopped. He did not want to pull out his cell phone and call Zelgadiss. That made him feel so… puerile. Xelloss wanted to get home on his own and prove that he could do it!

What had Zelgadiss told him to do? Deep breaths…counting to ten…in…and out…

Better. What else? 'If you are downtown, look for the White Shrine towers. They stand out.' Yes, that was a good idea, Zelgadiss. Xelloss blinked back a few tears threatening to run amuck and looked around.

No white spires. 'Or the University Museum with the gargoyles.' Yes, thanks Zelly! Xelloss drove further until he noticed a dark building looming above the others. Since there was a parking lot, Xelloss turned in to take a closer look. When he stepped out of the car, it was chilly! Without cloud cover to lock in the day's scanty warmth, the night time temperature was dropping significantly. He zipped his jacket up and stuffed his hands in the pockets, and then marched across the parking lot and up the stone steps to examine the building. No gargoyles and yet…

"Zelgadiss!" a shrill voice called out.

He swung around to see who it was. "Hello?"

"Oh, no…I'm sorry, Xelloss. Oh, am I glad to see you!" the girl gasped. She had been running to catch up to him.

"Oh?" In the street light he could make out her features. She looked familiar, so he relaxed his guard a little.

"My ride," the girl looked around warily before looking back at him. "Never showed. I had a research paper to do at the library," she gestured to the building behind them, "And I guess I lost track of the time and was too late or…something."

Xelloss nodded. As he focused on the buildings, his brain unfroze. He knew where he was. The chemistry building stood before him, the monolith that it was. He had gone into automatic and parked in the parking lot where he and Zelgadiss parked each day for classes. He shuddered in relief and smiled at the girl who was attached to his arm and chattering on nervously.

"…getting really scared. I had no idea how to get home from here this late. I never rode the bus. I just walked the half-mile or so, but that was spring and summer and now it's dark." She may have just realized how hard she was clutching his arm, and that they were practically strangers. She released his arm immediately and blushed. "Oh, sorry…I guess I was more frightened than I thought."

He chuckled softly and raked his fingers through his hair. "That's okay. I don't mind the dark, but it's easy to get lost around here, at least…it is for me."

She shivered and sighed, but smiled too. "Well, I have no trouble finding my way around. I just don't like…the dark…"

"So I guess we are meant for one another!" Xelloss said with a giggle.

She laughed. "Um…yeah, sorta. Ah, I bet you don't even remember me, do you?"

He shook his head, "Sorry…your face is familiar…"

"Candy. We have math together. We were in math together last year too and actually the year before that, when you actually were in class. I graduated last year and started here in the summer so this is my second quarter. What else are you t- taking?"

Xelloss become conscious of the fact that she had no coat and was shaking with cold as well as nervousness. "Just that and chemistry. Ah, you're freezing… Here wear this," he helped her on with his warm jacket, "… and… let's go back to the car. If I turn on the heater we can warm up, okay?"

She nodded and trotted after him. The engine was still warm so the heater supplied a warming blast immediately. She sighed gratefully, eyes closed. Xelloss took the opportunity to examine her face. Candy. Brown wavy hair, dark eyes, straight teeth, nice smile. Okay, now he recalled seeing her in class. She sat on the other side of Zelgadiss and often talked to him, picking his brain for alternate ways to approach problems. Smart girl. Serious student. She had gone to Seyruun High? That he didn't recall.

She opened her eyes and caught his a moment.

"Sorry," he looked away. "I remember you now. You talked to Zelgadiss in class, right?"

"Yeah, he's very…good at math, isn't he?"

"Yes, the best I know. So, aside from being the same size, we don't look much alike, but you called me by his name earlier. Why was that?"

"Oh, that…ah… the car. There aren't any others like this around. You can't help but be noticed and I had seen him driving here a few times. When I saw it pull up in the usual place, I thought he might be going to a lab or something. 'Course in the dark and all… but once I got closer I saw the hair, then your face…Ah, thanks again for helping me out like this. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't…you know stopped or anything."

"Why wouldn't I have stopped to help? Anyone would have, wouldn't they?"

She blushed again. "I didn't really know you and I thought you were, you know…"

Oh not this…he thought to himself.

"…stuck up." (Huh?-Xelloss) "I mean, you kept to yourself most of the time and never talked to anyone in class. At lunch you just hung out with Lina's group." She hesitated. His odd expression confused her. "…But I can see you're really a nice guy and easy to talk to. You are not at all like the way you seemed…then."

He shook his head. "I had no idea people thought of me that way. I, um…was just shy, kinda, and a bit of a geek. Well, to make that all up to you, I'll have to think up something to change that image. Would you like to go someplace…for something hot to drink? A snack maybe? Yes? Great! Oh, ah…do you know a place you like? Good, now if you can just direct me, we'll get there. Otherwise, we'll be parked here for the rest of the night!"

Candy laughed at his candor. He was so utterly open and honest and cute that she was taken by him straight away.

He pulled out of the parking lot and turned as directed until they reached an off-campus, neighborhood donut shop. She had made him feel good, just as he was about to slip into that dark abyss of panic-driven disorder, compliments of his ADD condition. The dark didn't bother him and he'd helped her, too. And now he had a new friend. And a pretty one at that!

She offered to pay, but Xelloss would have nothing of it. His idea; his treat. "Find us a table and I'll surprise you. Anything you don't like?"

"Nothing pink!" She smiled and walked off to find them a place to sit.

It was crowded, but Xelloss crammed into the tiny corner table with a tray of hot chocolates and two warm cinnamon-dusted donuts apiece. His cell phone buzzed. "Excuse me…" he smiled, then reached across to Candy and pulled it out of his jacket pocket. She was still wearing his jacket. "'Lo? Ah, yes, Zelgadiss. No, I have not fallen off the face of the planet. I ran into a friend…No! No! Not with the car! Relax will you? Yeah, on campus. We're having a snack then I'll drop her off at her…residence, which she's telling me is very close. Yes, a '_her_'." He rolled his eyes and Candy giggled.

"Of _course_ you know her. Better than me perhaps. Math. Bing-go! You win the prize tonight, little brother. Candy. Yeah, I won't be late. Yeah, right…bye." He smiled and chuckled as he put away his cell phone. "We, ah…keep tabs on one another. Well, actually he keeps tabs on his car mostly."

"Is he rich? That's a pretty expensive car for a college student to be driving." Candy noted.

"Ah…he inherited a bit from his grandfather last year and spent it on a guitar and that car. Not exactly what I would have done, but it was his choice. Like the donuts? I just picked what had come out of the oven and hoped for the best. This is a great place, though." Xelloss was jabbering in his animated style. Candy just smiled and nodded and watched him, clearly enamored with this strange young man.

They chatted a bit longer about school and what not, then bused their table and left.

"Close, you say? Shall we walk? I'd hate to have to find another parking place, if I don't have to." Xelloss was looking around at possible residence buildings.

"Yep, right here." Candy lead him across the street to a multistory building which looked like it had been a nice hotel in its hey-day before the university grew and overtook the quiet community. "This is it in all its glory!" she said. "Um, want to come in? I'll show you around."

She didn't want the evening to end yet. She didn't know when she'd get another chance to be alone with Xelloss, and she really found his company to be refreshing. "I'll only take a few minutes," she pleaded.

"Okay," he smiled and followed obediently.

"Oh… who have we here?" A slender young man slithered up from his over-stuffed chair and held out his hand.

Xelloss assumed it was meant to be shaken, so he did just that as Candy introduced them. "John, Xelloss. Xelloss, John our friendly greeter, when he doesn't have anything better to do. This is the public meeting room, complete with fireplace…"

"And _greeter," _John said with a smirky smile and still holding onto Xelloss hand.

Candy called, "Come on up stairs and I'll see if my roommate's in."

John bowed, "After you're done upstairs, come 'round and I'll give you the rest of the tour!" He winked at Xelloss just to make sure his meaning was clear.

Xelloss pulled his hand back from the just-a-bit-too-long-shake and smiled cordially before turning his attention back to Candy. "On my way. Roommate? Do I _want_ to meet her?" He trotted up the stairs laughing.

Candy didn't answer. Instead, she rapped on her door once then opened up. "Hey, s'me! I have a friend who walked me home. His name's Xelloss." Clearly, Candy was proud of her cute catch tonight.

The other girl looked up over her glasses from her bed. "Xelloss? Oh, yeah…I've seen you before. You sing with the Suzaku Seven. What, no dress tonight?"

Candy looked from her roommate to Xelloss, curious but not awe-struck. Xelloss, caught off guard, nearly stuttered. "P-pardon me? I think you have me confused with that other purple-haired guy, Nuriko. I'm the drummer with a band called the Slayers. We, ah…did open with the Suzaku Seven at some gigs over the summer."

The roommate sat up straighter, shuffling the books and papers off her lap as she did so. "No, it was you, but not in a dress, I guess. I saw you up on stage. He's a great _dancer_, Candy."

"Ah…" Realization washed over him. "That's right! I subbed for Nuriko at the very end of summer when he was ill. You must have caught that act. And, ah…thanks. Dancing is one of my passions." He smiled hoping to have settled that issue. After practically holding hands with John, it was essential now to get past the gay-dancer-in-a-dress image.

The roommate raked her eyes over him then sighed. "Okay, I guess so. The other guy's taller and his hair's shaggier anyway. So, nice to meet you, drummer-boy." She touched her fingers to her forehead and flipped him a military salute.

"Well met," Xelloss said with humor returning the salute, "…soldier."

After that, Candy showed him the view afforded by her room's window, and then led him back downstairs to the public room.

"Where do you eat?" he asked politely.

"Just getting there," Candy answered. "Through here is the communal dining room where dinner is served, like at a dorm. Breakfast and lunches, we're on our own. For that we can use the kitchen. The sign-up sheet is for cleaning duty."

"Nice place. Well, thanks for the tour, but I have to get Zelgadiss his car back before he starts calling again." Xelloss smiled apologetically.

"Okay," she said as she tried to keep the disappointment from showing with a half smile. "Do you know how to get home from here? Do you know your address?"

Xelloss laughed, "Yes…I have that memorized… I'm not quite that lame…"

She told him the turns to get him headed back to his end of town, although he didn't tell her his address. "It's been fun and...ah…thanks for helping me out tonight."

"No trouble and… me too! I mean, thanks for giving me directions." He added, "See you tomorrow!"

"To…morrow?"

"Math class, right?"

"Oh," she slapped her hand to her head. "Right, math…right…stupid me, huh? Yeah, see ya in class. Bye, Xelloss!" she waved to him from the door.

He returned the wave and then danced all the way to the car in the wedge of light from her open door. He'd made a friend. On his own.

Yay, me!

"Hello?" Xelloss called to his best friend as he entered their house. He flung the car keys in his general direction.

Zelgadiss caught them midair without glancing up. "Everything all right?"

"Yes indeedy! Shall we cross-test one another for the chemistry exam now?"

"Have you worked up any questions?" Zel asked doubtfully.

"In my head. I thought them up on the way over." Xelloss smiled, rolled over the back of the couch, and somehow gracefully ended up head up and facing Zelgadiss. "Where's Val?"

"Out."

"Out?" Xelloss repeated.

"O.U.T. Out."

"Just…out? Not out with someone else?"

"Ah, he's out with the Great White Serpent." Zel looked up from under the shelter of his overhanging hair and smiled.

Xelloss' eyes widened. "No!"

"Yes!"

"Oh…my," Xelloss sank further into the cushions. "Well, I guess if you think about it…"

"Something I'd rather not…"

"She suits him. They're both loud and flashy, have sex on the brain 24/7, and come from good _stock_!" Xelloss waited until Zel met his eyes, and then chuckled.

"_Good _stock, oh brother…"

"That I am! First question…What is the molar strength of the product in this reaction…?"

"You're just happy to have avoided her yourself," Zel sighed.

"Ah…is that your answer?"

"3.7, no. But I'm right."

"3.724…yes, I am but they do share a few traits and common tastes. Next question…"

"3.7 and no further decimals since one of the other values was only accurate to the tenths place. Remember your sig figs. And it's my turn to ask the question." Zel paused for Xelloss to acknowledge. "Very well, when are we going back to check on Grauscherra's paper trail?"

"Huh? Oh…" Xelloss smiled. How cunning of my little brother! "I do believe we have cracked the books long enough. What say you to a little stroll?"

"My shoes are by the door and…do I need a jacket yet?"

"Yes, it's chilling down at last," Xelloss said as he bounded after Zel to get his still-warm jacket back on. "My season is on its way!"

"I thought you liked summer, with the scantily-clad women on campus." They traded smiles. Xelloss had something up his sleeve. Zel decided to play his game. "All right… Your season? You have a season?"

"Oh yes, I am a winter. I look best in brights, black and white…"

"What are you talking about?" Zel yanked open the door and stared cautiously at his friend putting on his shoes. Had he been drinking? Were his meds off?

Xelloss stood and pulled a book out of the bookcase by the door. "This 'Dressing for Success—Know Your Season'. With my pale complexion and dark, lustrous hair…" he looked up with a grin while Zel looked on with fascination turned disgust, "…I am a true 100 percent Winter. Lina…is a Fall, without a doubt looking best in rusty reds, golds, dark green, eggplant…"

"That's a food item," Zel snapped as he locked the door.

"Filia is a Summer, while you are…a Spring!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes, Spring. You look best in pastels, never 'brights' or harsh colors."

Zel started the car. "You are certifiable."

"I didn't _write_ the book…" Xelloss began defensively.

"But you _READ_ it!"

"It was in _our_ book case and _I _didn't put it there."

"But you _read_ it, Xelloss… gods…"

"That I did. And you will not make me feel bad about having done so. It was …informative… with pictures of cute girls wearing samples of different colored clothes. Well, not _clothes_ actually, more like tiny little swatches of cloth about…oh, I'd say…covering about the surface area of my hand, barely concealing the essentials… Hey! Watch it! Eyes on the road, driver!"

"Asshole…" Zel murmured, but he was smiling too. "Cute girls…You'd read anything with pictures of girls in it, wouldn't you?"

"I thought I'd made _that_ clear when I read **_that_**!" Xelloss giggled until Zel punched him in the gut.

"You want a turn at the wheel?" Zel asked.

"No. I did my driving earlier. You know, when I grow up I think I shall have a limo and chauffer to drive me around…much like I have now, but she'll dress better."

"She? Oh, you meant the driver, I take it?" Zel smirked.

"Yes, of course the driver. The other ladies in the car won't be…"

"We're here," Zelgadiss interrupted Xelloss' vocal day-dreaming. "Where should I park this time? Oh, never mind. I see a spot."

The two boys entered the high school building the same way as before, following the hidden tunnels and passageways to the offices.

Pausing outside the principal's office while Zel fished around in his pocket for the lock-breaking tool of choice, made Xelloss wonder aloud. "So, what made you pick tonight?"

"Something Filia said. She was called into the office late today for her Junior interview and thought she noticed something on the desk , a paper something, with a clan or syndicate stamp, she wasn't certain. There, this should be the right one…"

"It's later than before," Xelloss noted. "I hope the custodian hasn't already emptied the…"

"Odd…" Zel muttered softly.

"What?"

"The door's unlocked already," Zel replied tensely.

"Ugh! The custodian's been in and is due back, my guess." Xelloss put his hand to the door and pushed in.

Zelgadiss stopped him, gripping his shoulder. "Stop!" he managed, his teeth clenched. "Maybe someone's in there. Let me go first." He pointed to one of his pointed ears, and slid past his friend.

The outer office was mostly dark, lit again by the glow from a few operating computers. One had a screen saver of an ocean scene. Dolphins jumped and dove gleefully through waves while penguins slid off floating ice bergs to frolic alongside them in the blue sea. On another computer, a pack of wolves howled silently from rock perched above a pine forest, a crescent moon over head. You know, the _usual_ screen-savers.

Zel crept, back hunched, all the way to the principal's inner door, and then froze. Xelloss, who had been hovering nervously by the first door watching for unwanted guests, stilled even his breathing instinctively. He waited until he could make out Zel's movements out of the corner of his eye. When Zel resumed his activity to include turning the door knob, Xelloss exhaled.

"All right, it's clear inside," Zel whispered.

Xelloss scanned the outer hall and office one more time, and then ducked inside after Zelgadiss.

"Damn."

"She's already been here," Zel spat. "The wastepaper basket's gone."

"Well, can't be helped. Look around the desk. I'll check the bookcase." No sooner had the words escaped his lips, than Zel had his arm in a vise-like grip.

"Voices…" Zel hissed.

Xelloss' brain punched into over-drive. This room had to have another exit, besides the secret passageway from the outer office. Zelas, he knew, would never have allowed herself to have been trapped in a room with only one exit. There had to be another door. Window…outer office…storage closet…

"We have to hide. Quick!" Xelloss yanked back on Zel's connecting arm.

"Where?"

"Closet…we haven't time to think. In!"

Voices.

"Why the door's open! That's odd," said a man's voice from the outer office.

"The custodian, dear. She's bungling about the place. If not, then we've caught ourselves a mouse," said a woman's jubilant voice.

"Or two!" the man chuckled in response as his hand jiggled the knob to inner office.

Both boys had a moment to find a spot to stand, before Xelloss pulled the closet door closed and darkness descended. "Feel around for a latch or something," Xelloss said in an undertone.

Zel nodded. All right, his friend was mad, but he was stuck in the closet with him and no way out so might as well humor him…

"Shhh," Xelloss warning came a moment after Zel had also heard the voices enter the room.

Quietly, Zel continued to run his sensitive fingers over the inside wall of the closet. If Xelloss thought there was a hidden escape route, then he would find it.

"It's gone!" The man's voice could clearly be heard now by both boys; it was Grauscherra.

"Well, what did I tell you? We have a leak right here in the office. Or perhaps that clan girl…? Either that or you threw it away…" the woman said with the barest of anger poking through.

"I did not throw it away. And it was here when I left the office after school. Like I told you, the Ul Copt girl had no interest in the contents of my desk."

"I'll bet. So what was she doing sitting on it? That was all she was doing when I came in…wasn't it?"

Xelloss started. What was Filia up to? She could really mess things up. Zel didn't seem to be listening.

"Ah…she was…"

"She's a little settlement slut. With her tight sweater… I know what she was doing and it was only slightly better than ripping off your private mail."

The man pleaded innocence in an attempt to ward off a jealous woman. Xelloss winced and nearly gagged as the argument took a different turn.

"Oh, darling…"

"This I do not want to hear," Xelloss muttered just as Zel gasped.

"Here." Zel elbowed Xelloss to get his attention. "Push."

The both pushed on the back panel of the closet. Zel gave the blade of his knife another twitch and the panel gave way a bit. "It's working…"

It was slightly ajar when Xelloss' body tensed against his. The voices again, louder.

"What was that?" the woman asked.

"Could it be the custodian returning?" asked Grauscherra. "I thought I heard something too."

"No, not out there. Like it was closer."

"Window maybe?" he asked.

Xelloss could follow their sounds to the window, opening it and looking outside. He knew they had only seconds before being discovered.

"Zelgadiss, now!" he said urgently.

"Then help me push!"

Xelloss fell to driving his shoulder into the back panel. Something gave way, and it sprang open. For a few seconds, Zelgadiss felt the wood beneath him slide back sideways into the wall, then the gut-wrenching horror of free-fall.

For about a tenth of a second. His hands, arms and chest impacted with another hard surface. "Stairs!" he gasped. "Come on!"

Xelloss twisted himself around feet first and stepped where moments before Zel had fallen face first. "Wait!" Xelloss scrambled to find some mechanism on there side of the wall to operate the moving panel.

"Below!" Zel said.

"Right…" Xelloss fingered the fastener clumsily, releasing the spring latch. "Got it."

The panel snapped shut smoothly, this time. But before it had closed completely, Xelloss had a glimpse of a tiny beam of light shining through the crack and heard, "There…no…okay you're right, not in there either. Maybe this old place is haunted. I heard the funniest story in the staff room the other day. Yeah… well, it seems there was once a custodian named 'Old Tim'…"

Xelloss hadn't stuck around to hear more. Zel was waving a flash light and retreating into a tunnel quickly. Besides, Xelloss had heard that story before, only he knew the truth behind it.

"Oh…gods…" Xelloss' sides were heaving as he slid into the car seat beside Zelgadiss.

"Yeah…I thought we were doomed this time," Zel sighed. His hands were shaking. He tucked them into his arm pits to mask his fear. "What made you think there was a secret passage in the closet?"

"Ah…well… I just got to thinking like her…not liking to be trapped." He looked up at his friend. Whoa, he was trembling, and not with cold. Xelloss had an idea and smiled. "And I remembered this story I once read about this girl detective finding hidden tunnels in an old mansion…"

Zel stared at him. "You read Nancy Drew novels as a kid?"

Xelloss broke into a grin, "You too? My favorite was when she got dressed up to go to some important dance and she picked out a sea-green dress. I always wondered what color that was, didn't you?" He gave Zelgadiss a mischievous wink.

"I-I didn't say that I did, but…No I didn't think about that dress, I mean I never read that part, er…book…Ach! You idiot! I'm going home!" Zel hid his embarrassment as best he could and started the car.

Well, that was better. Mad was better that scared.

"Oh, and you'd better take a look at this," Zel muttered and flung a wadded up paper into Xelloss' lap.

"What's this? Oh…my…what a good little detective you are!" Xelloss chortled merrily. "When did you snitch this off his desk?"

Zel smiled. He'd let the 'little detective' thing pass this time. "When you were looking for a way out."

"It's interesting….but," Xelloss said.

"But?"

"It could be a trap. You heard what they were saying? About laying a trap. This might not be real, just bait."

"Do we take the bait and find out?" Zel looked askance to catch Xelloss' expression.

"Hook, line, and…"

"No sinker, Xelloss. We go in knowing what's up and don't get caught or dragged down."

"Sounds…fishy…to me!" Xelloss snickered. He easily batted away his friend's half-hearted punch.

* * *

From the Authors: 

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. If you haven't already visited it and if you ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Frog, you can now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest announcement as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Twenty.


	21. Wheels Within Wheels

Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! 

Chapter 21

Wheels Within Wheels

"When I consider this carefully, I find not a single property which, with certainty, separates the waking state from the dream. How can you be certain that your whole life is not a dream?" -- Rene Descartes

* * *

Monday morning, last week of school before Thanksgiving break. 

Lina was walking, had been walking for a long time and not in any particular direction or with any intent. Just walking.

"You're going to be late at this rate."

"I know, Zel, but I don't care."

"You should, it's your most important day," he insisted.

"It is?" She turned to ask him why that was, but he wasn't there.

"Naturally," Xelloss smiled. "You've been planning it for months, but he's wrong about the late part. Everything will wait for you."

"Er...that's great, Xelloss, but what exactly is this all about anyway?" Lina asked, but once again, she found that she wasn't speaking to anyone.

"Lina? How...how could you ferget? I mean...ya know...today, of all days?"

"Gourry?" Lina discovered it was him all along speaking to her. His eyes looked sad, no... Disappointed. "I-I don't know. I don't know where I am or where I'm going to. It's like I just woke up and here I am going...nowhere!"

"Oh yer goin' someplace and if yer look up, you'll see it." Val's face hovered over her shoulder. "Unless yer too blind, heh, heh..."

"Where? Val? Where?" She spun on a heel in her rush to discover the mystery.

"There!" "There." "There." "There..." Each of the boys' familiar voices chorused in her head.

"What! I don't see anything!" She screamed desperately. But all she could see was fog in thick drifts all around her.

Now she was mad. "Where did you idiots go? Don't leave me here, damnit!" She struck out with her fist and ran into the fog, yelling:

"This is no time to sulk, Zel, come on!

...What kind of a joke are you playing at, Xelloss?

…It's not funny, I can tell ya!

...Gourry? Where are you when I need you?

...Val? Val, is that you making all that racket?

...Oh…

...Ohhhh!"

Lina stepped into the mists and fell down, down...then hit solid ground with a thud!

"Lina! I said I'm off, and if you don't getcher butt up and outta the house now, you're gonna be late for school!" Luna yelled from the other side of the bedroom door.

"Huh? Oh? Oh! Yeah, I'm up...I'm up!" Lina shouted as she shook the cobwebs out of her sleepy head. "Gag! That was one helluva dream! Geesh! It's bad enough I gotta see those idiots at school and practice and on the road, but in my sleep too?"

Lina wasn't the only one to have a bad start to the day. It was senior picture day and bad hair was in the air. Xelloss had managed somehow to keep it a secret from Zelgadiss so that when he and Xelloss entered the building at noon, it only took Gourry and Val to strong-arm the guy into the photo room.

"Ya promised Lina you'd do this," Gourry reminded him.

"Not possible. At all. I never would have agreed to getting my picture taken," Zel insisted, arms folded across his chest defiantly. "In a million years, or more."

"Yeah, ya did. I heard ya." Gourry smiled. "We were in the hospital all banged up and Lina...Lina was gonna make it too. Ya told her you'd do anythin', and that's what it gonna be."

"She didn't hear that! You are making it all up. I don't remember a...Huh? Pardon me? No, I'm not taking off my sweatshirt. What? Oh, all right..."

He sat defiantly on the stool, arms wrapped across his pale, blue shirt-covered chest. Gourry held onto his sweatshirt. Xelloss smiled.

"You knew," Zelgadiss glared at his friends. "That's why all my t-shirts were mysteriously 'in the laundry'. You talked me into wearing your shirt for this...a picture." He spat the last word as if it was coated in poison.

Xelloss shrugged, "That's a secret. Oh, and... don't smile!"

"In your dreams..." Zel muttered as a smirky grin spread to his mouth against all his will power. Val was making faces behind Xelloss' back, pretending to attack him unawares. Zelgadiss turned his head, revealing a single ear pointing through his shining hair glittering with rings; his eyes, that incredible blue-green, sparkled in flash of light. Scars? What scars? He was awesome.

"Not my dreams! I have much better things to dream about than you getting a picture taken." Xelloss winked and pushed his way onto the stool. "My turn! I think my bangs are mussed, can I comb them first? Thanks."

"Say 'Can-dee'!" Val laughed.

Xelloss did and smiled for the camera.

"Shit, I didn't think chicks had names like that fer real,"Val sniffed.

"It isn't her real name. It's Laila," Xelloss said his voice subdued. He slipped off the stool, giving way to Gourry to take the stand.

Zel shot him a look, "Really? I didn't know that."

"See? We do talk!"

Zel's eyes widened and he blushed. "I assumed you did... I mean...of course you two talk when you're together."

"Some, anyway...A least we exchanged names!" Xelloss paused for effect, and then giggled.

Val laughed as Zel choked back a cough. "Way ta go, dude!"

Gourry tapped Val on the shoulder indicating that it was his turn to get photographed, and then he turned back toward Xelloss looking puzzled.

"She's just a girl from our math class I'm getting to know, that's all," Xelloss explained to Gourry in passing.

"Sur-re," Val grinned. He arranged his headband so that the free ends hung away from his face. "You gonna see her tomorrow?"

"Yeah...and tonight." Xelloss smiled and looked away. "She's asked me over to study...I think. We have a test tomorrow and Zelgadiss I know doesn't need to go over anything, right little brother?"

Zel shook his head. "Need the car?"

Xelloss' turn to shake his head, "Noooo, I'll take the bus. That way you'll have it to get to school in the morning. Just in case."

"In case?" Zel looked for his back pack. He hadn't been paying close attention to the implication buried in Xelloss' statement.

"In case I don't make it back home tonight." Xelloss smiled.

Zel was about to ask what he meant by that, when reality hit him square in the face. A warmth grew in his chest, the rush of blood flooded his face crimson. "Oh…" Zel headed out of the room so quickly, he forgot his sweatshirt.

Suddenly several kids thundered into the hall and crowded around an announcement board nearby where Zel had planted himself. Their shrill laughter was unbearable. His sensitive ears were smarting. He felt as though he were in a glass box. Just when the glass became smooth and warm to his pleasure, it suddenly shattered into a billion shards. Yes, his social life in detail.

Wednesday, last day of school before the Thanksgiving break.

"So your uncle and cousin are staying with you this week?" Sylphiel asked Amelia.

"Yes, they should be there by now. I can't wait to see them! Alfred is, at least was the last time I saw him, really dreamy! He just finished high school and is traveling with his father before beginning college. He's so lucky."

"What's he look like?" Filia asked.

"Like Zel but with black hair and light blue eyes," Lina answered.

All eyes swiveled her way.

"What? I can't notice what people look like? He and Nahga and I went places when he'd visit. Real cute, yeah," Lina winked at Zel who colored slightly at the compliment and cursed himself for it under his breath.

"He's my favorite cousin," Amelia sighed, completely unaware of Zel's discomfort. "We played tea party when we were really small, but I don't suppose we'd have that much in common anymore. His daddy's Christopher ul Brozzo Seyruun. He's the best uncle, and so tall, dark and handsome!"

"So what are they coming here for?" Filia asked.

"To visit. I think my uncle would like to find a job in town and stay, so maybe he's job hunting while traveling the area. I don't really know," Amelia answered. "At least they're planning to stay for a few months so my being in Atlas City and missing them won't be so bad."

"If he's reeeeeally cute," Filia smiled, "Maybe he'd like to come along to listen to us record. I'm sure he'll find it more entertaining than staying with your dad and his dad."

"I'll think about it, Miss Filia!" Amelia assured her. "It would be difficult to invite him and not my sister." Her face lit up. "Oh! That reminds me… Zelgadiss? Is Subaru joining us when we go to Atlas City? Some one should call and remind him to pack and all."

"Already done," Zel answered. "Twice. Last week and yesterday Xelloss dropped by with Lina, I understand, while we were in Japanese."

"That's good. I'm so glad that Xelloss is taking his promise to care for Subaru so seriously. It's nice to know that he can be responsible too." Amelia nodded in satisfaction.

Zel said nothing. He wished he felt the same.

At the other end on the table, a different conversation was going on. "So, you ever get in last night?" Val asked.

Xelloss smiled, "I could ask you the same thing, but I won't."

"Ya didn't! I knew it," Val grinned wolfishly. "You were with that new one…Candy, riiiiight?"

Xelloss pretended not to hear and attended wholly to his lunch. Spread the mustard over the whole roll evenly…make certain the turkey is distributed across the entire surface, not bunched up to give 'lettuce-only' bites…the cheese…

"Can-dy? That's not a real name, is it?" Filia snorted. She had directed the question to Zel, who was centrally located at the table, since Xelloss didn't seem to be participating actively in the conversation.

"No, it's the nickname she goes by. Xelloss told me her name was Laila." Zel returned to his bagel. He wondered if Filia knew how similar she was to Val these days…even down to framing her questions like his, only with proper pronunciation.

"Laila…Laila…" Filia mused a bit. "Not Kerel's Laila? That really popular guy, wasn't he like the quarterback last year? Kerel! You know who I'm talking about… brown hair, blue eyes, great tan…?"

Zel shook his head. It was all news to him, and not interesting news at that.

Exasperated, Filia remarked, "She's another little red-head, ya know…sounds fishy…to me…"

"Brownish red," Zel corrected her. "Taller than Kagome."

"Maybe she dyed it…" Filia rejoined. She wanted more information out of Zelgadiss. Of course it was absurd to think she could pry gossipy tid-bits out of Zel-the-rock…

Not far away, Gourry was staring longingly out the window of the lunchroom. It was at the far end of room, but he could see the golden, late autumn sun streaming in.

"What's your problem?" Lina nudged him with a hunk of soft pretzel.

He took the offering and gulped it down indifferently. "Nothin'…'cept… My brother's on a field trip today. Beach. Must be nice."

Lina groaned. "Oh, now you've spoiled my lunch. Nah, I mean…gods…what a terrific day to be at the coast, eh? I'd love ta go to the beach right now."

"Dream on," Val muttered.

"Can't," Gourry said automatically. He figured Lina wasn't being serious. He knew that she knew they had to leave to get to Atlas City early in the morning. So by Lina Decree, they were all supposed to pack and get to bed early. No time for beach trips this afternoon that was for sure.

"I'll take you," Xelloss offered in a soft voice.

Lina and Xelloss locked eyes. The table conversations paused for a millisecond.

"Aren't we going to be, like, super busy packing for our trip to Atlas City tomorrow? I know I've got loads to do and I'm not taking an instrument." Sylphiel looked around for affirmation.

"Zel's takin' his guitar, but that's about it," Val said. "We're usin' the studio stuff fer recordin', we decided."

"Clothes!" Sylphiel insisted.

"That don't take long…" Val grumbled.

Lina still held Xelloss' gaze. She knew that he would do it if she nodded. He'd find a way, a car, a plane, something to get them there…this very minute, if she said yes.

"Don't you gotta date agin with that…Candy con-fec-shun? Or…have ya fergottin'?" Val asked Xelloss.

Xelloss didn't acknowledge that query one way or the other. He was waiting for Lina.

"How come you know her so well? She and Kerel were supposed to have gotten married in June," Filia repeated, eyes narrowing.

"Right out of high school," Sylphiel sighed. "So romantic. They were deeply in love…I remember…Of course, I never knew what he'd seen in her. I mean, she was okay and all, but nothing special. Kerel was …"

"Miss Sylphiel…" Amelia hissed reminding her that Xelloss might think Candy was the best thing ever! He did like sweet things…

Zel looked at Sylphiel then Xelloss and sighed. "She's a friend of ours from math. You might remember her. She graduated here last year with honors (a feature that might be of interest to some of us)."

Amelia shook her head, "Don't remember her."

"She's more than a friend to him," Val nodded Xelloss' way. "They been seein' lots of each other and he didn't come home last night at all."

"She's interested in engineering." Zel said a bit louder.

Filia stared at Xelloss who was still locked onto Lina, "Sounds like she's interested in Xelloss."

But…she couldn't actually go to the beach. Lina had promised her sister to stick around home after school and evening. This would be their first Thanksgiving apart. Luna was going to the Cephied clan settlement for the festivities, and to be with Julian, Filia's cousin. Luna and Julian had become very close. Not that Lina ever saw him. Rules were rules, and except for Xelloss-who-had-special-privileges, Luna never brought any young men into their home. Lina dropped her eyes to her hands, freeing Xelloss from her spell in the process.

"The sea calls to me, but I can't go either," Lina said at last. "Promised my sis I'd spend some time with her. I won't see her for awhile."

"Okay," Xelloss smiled, eyes creased shut, his face masking his inner emotions. "I wouldn't dream of interfering in your special family occasion. Another time, perhaps."

"Which reminds me, Lina? Zolf called again last night. He and Rodimus received the documents and signed them and they will be in the mail today, just in case they don't make it before we leave, I recommended that he keep copies and mail them directly to our lawyer. I told him we had decided to hire him and Rodimus as road and stage managers, but that for this trip to Atlas City they wouldn't be needed. Agreed? Fine. Just wanted to pass that by you." Zelgadiss finished his drink. "I'm going over to talk with Van. See you later."

Later that evening, Val opened the door in answer to demands of the bell. "Yo? Oh, Amelia?" He was surprised and didn't try to hide it.

"Can I come in, please? Mr. Zelgadiss is here, isn't he?"

Yeah and…yeah. "Sure, he's in the kitchen." He stood aside and let Amelia pass by. The van driver tipped his hat at Val and drove off.

She looked around first. She hadn't been over before. "Where's the…never mind, I see it now."

Amelia strode with determination into the kitchen where she found Zel bent over a bowl of bread-like dough and sipped at a cup of hot beverage. "Zelgadiss?"

To say he was stunned would have been an understatement. "Amelia? Ah, what are you doing here?"

How nice of him to invite her, she almost said, but she wasn't a sarcastic person. "It's all right, isn't it?" she asked archly.

"Ah, yes," he straightened. Remembering his manners, he continued, "Would you like to sit? Something to…ah…drink or…tea?"

"I'd like to sit, but nothing to drink, thank you. I came over to…talk…to you." She looked at the table, found a chair and sat.

She stared at the aquarium on the counter. Xelloss' fish had grown an inch, but weren't ready for the pond outside, Zel had told him. Actually, Zel had grown attached to them inside and until he bought replacements, the goldfish would stay.

Zel joined her at the table, choosing to lean against the wall, one arm folded over his chest, the other holding a cup of tea. Waiting. What was she up to? "What have I done now?" he asked. Might as well ask and get things started.

"What makes you think you've done something wrong?"

"Good guess," he said simply.

Amelia frowned slightly. She could not tell at all what was going on past that rock-hard skull of his, but she was determined to take a crack at it. "If you don't want to…go out…with me on my birthday just say so! I certainly don't want to force you into a date you don't want."

That said, she deflated a little. Had she gone too far?

Zel jumped, slopping his tea. "No! I want to go. It's not that, it's just…" He wiped off his hand on his shirt and thought carefully about what he would say. "Ah…I guess I just wanted to do it my way, but instead, I've been coerced into going where others have devised. Ah, not 'forced', but 'set up' is more like it. They are nice places and I know I'll like them…I hope you do, but…" He knew he was beginning to sound rather small and peevish at this point.

"That's okay with me, Zelgadiss," Amelia gazed at him admiringly. "When we get back, you and I can do something that's all our plan. But, was that all?"

"No, but I don't want to talk about it."

She started, hurt by his bluntness. "Oh…"

"Amelia, it's very personal. I can't even think about it with myself much less share it with someone else."

"Someone else…" she echoed. Sadness crept into her tone. She hoped he would trust her with his inner turmoil. "Am I just 'someone else'?"

Zel sighed and met her eyes at last. "No, you're not. You are too important…what you think of me is too important to test."

"Zelgadiss, I am quite able to stand up to any test you may think you have. My feelings for you are true and pure!"

"What if mine aren't?" he asked her frankly.

That was not what she was expecting him to say. At all. In fact, she wasn't certain what he meant. Was he not 'true' or were his thoughts 'unpure'? She thought about the conundrum. He wasn't seeing anyone else. Not at either school. But then, he wasn't the type to go lusting after anyone, or so she thought…up to now. She stood wide-eyed in mute wonder a moment, and then made her decision. "Then I'd say you were pretty normal." She treated him to a smirky smile copying his usual one, and then wrapped him in a Seyruun-family squeeze.

"Yo, dude…Whoa! Ignore me. Just getting' somethin' to eat." Val grabbed a box of crackers off the shelf.

This time Zel hadn't tried to push her away.

Amelia buried her face in his chest, smiling. She had guessed right.

"Don't let Xelloss get to ya either," Val said as he rifled through the refrigerator.

Zel tensed.

Amelia pulled back and watched Zel's expression. He was perturbed. As she thought about it, Zelgadiss' mood swing began the morning they were returning to Seyruun from the wine festival. Xelloss had been teasing some, but nothing out of the ordinary, she thought. "What happened? Did he say something mean?"

Val interjected before Zel could begin his denial routine. "He's gettin' involved with that girl he just met."

"Well that's not bad, is it? He's been lonely long enough." Amelia didn't understand though.

Val tossed the box and a plate of sliced cheese onto the table. "Yuh outta eat. Here."

Amelia and Zel watched as Val placed a slice of cheese between two crackers and took a bite. He closed his eyes in appreciation. With a low growl, Val put together two little cheese sandwiches and handed one first to Amelia, then the other to Zelgadiss.

Suddenly, Zel felt hungry. He had been too busy staring at Amelia to worry about something as mundane as food. She took Val's offering and munched it down. Amelia, who was there, with him, this evening - full of feelings - standing across from him at this table, eating his food - things they had done a hundred times before in other places. It was all so familiar, so normal, and yet, everything had changed.

"What are you smiling at?" Val asked.

Zel, however, was focused on Amelia's eyes and watched as she got a little flustered. Then Zel felt the oddest thing-- his heart did a little flip over in his chest when he realized that he could make her blush like that. "Eat your dinner," his tone was gruff, but both Val and Amelia could see the smile playing around the edges of his mouth. "It's getting cold."

Lina and Bobby drove the recording process like a well-oiled machine, fast and furious. The two bands had practiced and reworked songs until Lina finally settled on a dozen she was satisfied with—well, ten she preferred but two more the others voted in. Those were the songs they planned to record this first trip. The Winter break recording session would be Slayers-only, unless they couldn't complete this first task.

They were all stuffed into a house Bobby had access to, his married cousin's place– all 13 kids. It was a four bedroom house, at least, with three bathrooms, a den with a pull-out bed, and a large great-room, where the kitchen opens up into the living and dining rooms.

Everyone had brought their own sleeping bags, so it was only for the comfort of a soft mattress that they shared beds. Lina, Filia, Sylphiel, Amelia, Pearl, and Sarah took two of the bedrooms, sleeping three to a room. Lina volunteered to share the master bedroom with Pearl and Sarah, happy to have new people to talk to. She jumped on the king sized bed and laughed aloud, joined shortly by the equally petite Sarah. Pearl rolled to the middle and announced, "We fit!"

"Yeah, but if one of you is a bed hog, I'm going to take that upper bunk in the other room," Sarah noted.

"You can do that," Lina chuckled. "But Amelia snores, if that bothers you. Oh, and the free bed was above her, if ya didn't notice."

Sure, new people to talk to... Sweet dreams tonight, Lina.

Bobby, Luke, Lee, Xelloss, Val, Gourry, Subaru, and Zel took the other two rooms, and then spilled over into the den. They drew lots and Gourry got the den. Bobby, Xelloss, Subaru and Luke took one bedroom and Zelgadiss, Lee, and Val took the last one.

"I don't think I could sleep up there. I don't think I can even climb up into that," Bobby said. He had been looking over the two bunk beds in their room with a cautious eye. "I...ah...get vertigo."

Xelloss laughed. "It's only five feet off the ground!" He knew that Zelgadiss had mentioned that he suffered from the same problem in a moment of weakness.

Bobby smiled and shrugged. "I know..."

"It's okay with me. I prefer the top, I think. I used to sleep in a loft on a water bed. I miss the height and movement both." Xelloss pulled himself up and sat on the edge, legs dangling over.

Bobby shivered. "I get sea sick, too..."

Luke looked over the other bed. "I've never slept in one of these. I'll try the top, I guess. Unless you care?" The query was aimed at Subaru, who was standing awkwardly in the center of the room.

"I-it's only for the one night until I get to the shrine so it doesn't matter. The floor would do..." Subaru said in a quiet voice.

Next door, Lee swayed slightly back and forth, "Um...guys? We can't all fit in here, unless you like to be a lot closer than...um...seems comfortable."

Val grunted. Two twin beds. "Zel-bob and I have had to share a bed before on the road, but it was a queen-size, not a..."

"Twin," Zel offered. "I'll take the floor."

"Not necessary!" Xelloss shouted through the open door. "We have enough bed spaces. All we need are better arrangements."

Zel sighed a deep sigh. "Fine. What do you suggest?"

Gourry, hearing the discussion wandered into the hall. "The pullout in the living room is really big enough for two."

"There, you see? Gourry can have the..." Xelloss entered the room where Val was sitting and Zel standing with Lee. "...that twin bed."

"Mine..." Lee groaned. His dream bed eroding into a smallish lower bunk, he knew.

"You can bunk with Luke," Xelloss answered cheerfully, then turned and smiled at Subaru. "And I'll share with Subaru."

"Leaving me what?" Zel asked.

"The top bunk above Bobby!" Xelloss grinned. "See? Everyone happy?"

Subaru looked worried, "I don't want to be any trouble."

"Trouble? Spell it 'S…u…b…a…r…u'," Val muttered from his abode.

Luke gave a dry chuckle, "That's a car…"

Zel leaned in close to Val, and hissed under his breath, "It's not his fault! We made him come along, after all. If it were his choice, he'd sit alone in a cave and never cause trouble to anybody. Do you get it?"

Val set his jaw and nodded. He didn't like feeling guilty.

Zel turned back to Xelloss and shook his head. The bed looked shaky to him and Xelloss had already claimed it with his possessions. Besides, if anyone was going to play the martyr, it was going to be him, not Xelloss. "Not the top. Listen, Xelloss, you stay with your perch, I'll share with Subaru. He and I have an understanding." He picked up his bag and trudged to the den.

Sleeping quarters arranged, everyone migrated to the front room to check out the video games and movies. Except Zelgadiss. He wandered into the kitchen, where he heard someone was opening and closing cabinets. There he discovered Bobby sighing happily as he withdrew a huge roaster from depths.

"This'll do...yes...just about... Oh! Oh, it's you, Zel! I didn't hear you," Bobby exclaimed breathlessly from his exertion.

Zel nodded. "Tomorrow's work, but the next day's Thanksgiving. You planning on cooking?"

Bobby grinned, "Sure! I may not be the best, but I have fun. Turkey, dressing, gravy, some vegetables..."

"Pumpkin pie," Zel proposed.

"I...don't...I've never made pies," Bobby said apologetically. "The crusts are too much effort for my slap-dash manner…I've never done them satisfactorily…"

"I have, frequently," Zel smiled. "I do most of the cooking, have for years. Sylphiel's skilled and Xelloss and, well, all the others are well-trained helpers."

"Zelgadiss!" Amelia cried out. "Thanksgiving's your birthday! You're certainly not cooking your own birthday dinner!"

"Birthday?" Bobby smiled. "She's right. No cooking for you that day. Don't worry, we got tonight to cover first. Would you like to go shopping? It's a short walk."

Turning to Amelia he said, "You're welcome to join us. There'll be plenty to carry."

Amelia smiled. "Yes, thank you. I'll bet Mr. Gourry and... who else...? Pearl or Lee? Which one do you think would like to join us?"

"Lee, unless he's involved in a game," Bobby chuckled.

"He's teaching Mr. Subaru how to play Mario Party something, I think," Amelia said.

"He's done for then...You might ask Sarah, she carries a two-ton backpack so a sack or two of groceries will seem like nothing."

"Okay!" Amelia shouted and skipped off to round up carriers.

Bobby shook his head, "So, she's your girlfriend? Spunky."

"Ah..." Zel was about to say a definitive 'no', but changed his mind. "I'm taking her out for her birthday. Actually, a few days before her real birthday. Her father wanted her back home and at school not recording so we cut short our plans this week."

"Glad you did. We would have had the same problems juggling school with band. So, where are you going?"

"Art show with Filia and her mystery man, and then dinner. I don't have my car, so we're limited."

"There's a car in the garage here, and I have the keys. Want to borrow it that day? I'm sure my cousin Jacob and his wife won't mind... or know... Go on out and take a look. It's not as classy as your car, but it runs."

Zel left a trifle excited at the prospect of gaining his freedom once more.

"Oh, my! Bobby what are you doing with so much cream cheese?" Amelia asked.

He gave her a furtive look, "Absolutely nothing. Carry on. Nothing to see here, ma'am. Now, can you go see if there's any asparagus that looks decent?"

"Okay!" she answered. She knew when someone was trying to hide a secret. She also knew when to keep quiet about it.

* * *

From the Authors: 

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. If you haven't already visited it and if you ever wanted to see what the kids look like as envisioned by Frog, you can now that our staff photographer has been to their dimension and returned with photos! If you are interested, visit the website. Where? Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest announcement as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT.

Lots of new pictures have been added for ALL the stories!

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Twenty-one.


	22. Food, Friends, and Video Games

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 22 Food, Friends and Video Games**

"Woo-hoo!" Luke cheered. "It's a finger-twitch battle!"

* * *

Zelgadiss stared out the window while washing vegetables at the sink. They were in Atlas City for a few days of recording, hopefully enough time to get all that would be needed from both bands for the musical on one CD. His mind drifted, however to the meeting he had had with Mayor Phil just before leaving Seyruun…

"So, what can I do for you young people this afternoon?" The big man leaned forward in his chair and looked them all in the eye, one at a time. He settled on Zelgadiss and waited, attempting to penetrate the boy's stony exterior by sheer will-power.

Zel didn't melt, not with all the conditioning he'd received under Lina's tutelage over the years, unintended as it had been. His voice was firm with conviction as he began his explanation. "We have reason to believe that your re-election campaign is in danger. Corruption within or slander without, or both for that matter...we aren't sure...yet... how it may be tampered with, but..."

"Danger? That sounds _serious_, son. Do you have any idea from what organization? Do you have any concrete evidence?"

"Now, Daddy, you are sounding like a lawyer!" Amelia chastised him gently. "Give them a chance to explain in their own way."

Zel shook his head. "It's all right, Amelia. I don't mind answering his questions as we go along." He breathed deeply, and then went on. "The syndicate. And so far everything we have is from stolen inter-office mail and a tenuous e-mail trail through the syndicate's databases. Nothing we can take to the police, I don't think."

"Not without getting _yourselves_ into some trouble," grumbled Phil.

He drew his thick eyebrows together in thought, glasses in hand. From where Lina was sitting it looked like he was peering out from behind a furry, black mask. Hairy eyebrows meeting fuzzy sideburns joining the huge handle-bar moustache encircled his lively eyes. Even his jet-black hair, shot with threads of silver, flared out without restraint in a manner which gave him the overall appearance of a barbarian warrior. A throw-back to Seyruun's savage past. Lina nearly burst out laughing at the vision as she imagined him shouting 'Pacifist's Punch!' and pounding his opponent in the face with a massive fist. However, when the mayor next spoke, his calculating and cold tone stifled her utterances.

"I am wondering _how_ you two came to have access to those databases. Seems like something certain investigative _government_ agencies would like to know about." He turned his attention to Xelloss this round.

"Ah, yes...well, that may be so, but for I'd refer to keep that information...a secret." Xelloss smiled slightly and took a gulp from his glass of water.

Zelgadiss jumped in before Phil could object. "We are tracing several activities, Sir, some personal. Considering its track-record, I don't believe the CIA's fight against the syndicate has been effective at all. We have more success without them, I think. Look, this may just be a smear campaign against you which we can foil with quick thinking and intense internet searching to uncover the plot. But...if not, then it will come from within and we'll ferret the guys out. It's not that big of a deal..."

"He means as a life or death situation," Lina interjected. "So, what we thought was to cover all the angles at once. Xelloss and Zel will track the internet 24/7 for incriminating stuff. Amelia and me will conduct interviews of the staff and have the guys run their records through their 'bad-guy' scanner."

Mayor Philonel nodded in silence. He was considering his options. "We wouldn't want to draw undo attention to an internal problem, certainly. Unless actual criminal activity occurs, I suppose a little quiet investigation wouldn't be too risky."

He leaned back and drummed his fingers on the table.

Amelia hated to see her father look so worried. She put on her thinking cap and came up with something cheering to say. "At least you have your brother here to lean on a bit, right daddy! Uncle Christopher is a wonderful, trustworthy man!"

And the magic happened. Phil straightened his back and laced his fingers neatly together. A grin spread across his face, creating, from Lina's point of view again, a frighteningly garish mug.

"Yes!" he shouted. He freed one hand to thump it upon the table. Xelloss watched the water slosh in his glass and his smile wavered a little. "I'll make dear Christopher my new campaign manager...and his son, Alfred, my secretary! Yes, that'll be perfect! Two competent, dependable men that I can rely on! Wonderful! Thank you my dear, dear, darling daughter for your insightful remarks!"

"Can we go tell them now? I mean, ask them? I just know they'll want to help! Winning this race is important to the whole family...the whole of Seyruun! We must demonstrate that admirable values and integrity will persevere. We will overcome injustice and win this election!" Amelia was standing on the table, which was shaking with the combined weight of both her and her father, a noble wind blowing through their short dark hair-- glorious...just glorious.

"Yes! YES! For Seyruun!" Phil bellowed, adding his voice to hers. It was a magic moment.

Xelloss was smiling. He loved the drama.

Zelgadiss sighed. He tolerated it.

Lina yawned. "Yeah, yeah, well I guess our job is done here tonight. I gotta git home and check in with my sis. Zel? You givin' me a lift?"

First, he lent Amelia a hand down to the floor, and then he answered, "Certainly. Xelloss? Grab your gear and we'll go see what kind of mess Val's gotten into now."

"Sure thing, little brother!"

_Little_ brother… Zel sighed as he turned his gaze to the other occupant's of the kitchen. He was neither little nor his brother, but… there was something oddly nice about the sound of those words strung together so artlessly. It was as if they _were_ part of a _real_ family. He dried his hands and looked for the next task. The bird.

Bobby and Zel had been joined by Xelloss and Sylphiel in the kitchen. As it turned out, the four made a good cooking team. Xelloss and Sylphiel accepted directions well and were able to work on their own without much instruction. Bobby and Zel parceled out tasks and divided the chores automatically. For their first night in Atlas City, they took on roasted chicken, stuffing, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, asparagus, and salad—plenty for meat-lovers and vegetarians both. As it turned out not only Filia, but Sarah, Lee and of course Subaru also shied away from animal products.

"All right…there should be a rub for the chicken in that bag over there…" Zel directed Xelloss as he removed the plastic from the tray that held the dead bird.

"Eeyew…" Xelloss winced at it. "It looks icky. All bumpy and soggy and naked…"

"That's why they call it 'dressing'!" Sylphiel giggled at her own terrible joke, punctuating the tinkling laugh with a shake of the box of cornbread stuffing.

The others groaned and Bobby hit her over the head with a bundle of asparagus, albeit gently. That only made her giggle more. Bobby had his bag-pipe sleeves rolled up in great rings around his arms, and had tucked all of his longish, curly hair into his floppy hat to keep things clean. With his rosy cheeks and round face, he looked like a jolly chef out of a period novel.

"But you have to admit that thing looks gross," Xelloss gave the chicken another disgusted look.

A mania possessed Zel. He was washing the chicken at the time, but he hauled it up then and jostled his arms so that it appeared to dance, the drumsticks tapping on the counter, leaving little pink puddles behind.

They shrieked with laughter and repulsion.

As they got control of themselves, Xelloss, affecting the snooty tones of a sophisticate dance critic, pointed out that, "The routine was classic, but the execution was mediocre…"

"And it'll taste petty mediocre without the rub, but if you get it for me, I'll do the rubbing, all right?" Zelgadiss busied himself draining juices into the sink and feeling around for the giblet-bag.

"Hand that to me; I'll fry up the liver and kidneys and heart. I love offal," Bobby grinned, waving a frying pan and grasping a stick of butter in the other hand.

"Butter-fried chicken liver…pretty good," Zel nodded.

"The calories!" Sylphiel sniffed.

In the living room, the others took turns playing games on Lee and Bobby's various game consoles. Currently, the occupation was Mario Party 3.

"Damn you, Luke!" the usually mild-mannered Pearl cried. "You're too good at this!"

The scores displayed made Val, Pearl, and Amelia weep while Luke gloated. "It's my magic finger," he cricked it at them.

"Anything that involves finger-twitching is impossible for you to lose," Pearl complained. "Who wants in on the next round?" she offered up her controller.

The four brightly-colored plastic controllers stretched all over the room, tying up a great deal of space in a web of wires. There were many close calls as they were passed over heads and across the room, pulling the machine they were hooked up to this way and that.

"Fork it over," Lee demanded casually.

"I want to challenge Luke, here," Lina's eyes flashed. "He can't be that good; you guys have gotta just suck."

"Your funeral," yawned Luke, carefully pushing up his glasses without touching the strange make-up he wore around his eyes. "Lee?"

"Fine…" Lee gave his controller back to Luke with little fight. It wasn't really his kind of game, anyway. Perhaps he would go see what was up in the kitchen; check and see if Bobby had set anything on fire yet, how big the puddles and flour-heaps and egg-spots were…if he could summon up the energy to move…

A thin stream of lightening seemed to connect Lina's red eyes with Luke's dark ones. The heat was on.

Filia sighed and wrestled the controller out of Val's hands; she normally thought things like this beneath her, but any chance to one-up him was attractive to her, and his terrible score would be easy to top.

At her feet, Subaru blinked as he found the last of the four dumped in his lap.

"Come on, dude, choose!" Luke said, pointing to the screen.

He blinked again. Yes, he'd watched them do this for the past hour or three, but still he'd never so much as touched a video game cartridge before. Hokuto had liked to play arcade games, but they'd never owned anything like this…

"Just pick a character so we can play!" Luke pressed, eager to get on with it.

Recognition ignited in Lee. Maybe he didn't have to get up! There was something to do right here. "Here, you move that little stick—that's the 'joystick'—and see! The icon on the screen that corresponds to it moves, too!"

"Ah…" Subaru flipped it around for a while. The others gave each other long looks.

"Now, that grid is full of pictures…each is a character that you can choose to play as for the game."

"And…who are they?" Subaru squinted and tried to discern personality from the somewhat polygonal graphics that were a bit too bright for him to completely comprehend.

"Well… That's Mario in red, his brother Luigi in the green—"

"I chose Luigi!" Luke pointed out.

"I'm Mario," Lina reminded them.

"Yes, and they all have weaknesses and strengths. The brown blob is Donkey Kong; he's strong but slow. Likewise, that evil-looking dude, Wario, is also slower but strong. Peach is quick and nimble, and is chosen by Filia, but Yoshi, the green dinosaur-thing, is free…why don't you select him? Press the big blue button—that's 'A,' the action button. Green is 'B,' or 'back.' Yeah! There you go…"

"Okay, fill the pan with water, and when it boils—no, don't put the butter back, Bobby, I'll need it in a second," Zel ordered.

"Here ya go!" Bobby tossed him the stick, which he caught and passed to Xelloss who was puzzling over the recipe for macaroni and cheese.

"You'll need that. You'll need to boil some water, too," Zel sighed, and pointed him to the range.

"Right…Sylphiel, how ya doing with those potatoes?"

"Almost done, Bobby. Should I cut them next or…?"

"No; I'll do it with the asparagus. I'm good with a knife," he tested a cleaver with a tap of his finger. "Ow!"

Zel wondered if it was such a good idea to have Bobby there. He knew what to do, and was doubtless a very successful chef since everything looked tasty, but he did not seem terribly concerned with the mess he made. A haphazard, mellow fellow, he looked more and more a maniac as he spilled water down his front and wiped sauces across his cheek. It was sort of like having a disaster walking among them.

"Oh, dear! It's steaming!"

Sort of like Xelloss…

"Oh, Bobby, you're so funny!" Sylphiel laughed as Bobby furiously hacked at a head of lettuce for the salad, sending little shreds flying like cruciferous confetti.

"I'll do the carrots…" Zel decided.

"What's happening?" Subaru asked Lee.

"You're doing a four-person mini-game. That means you're all competing against each other. Okay, you got 'Cheep Cheep Chase.'"

"Woo-hoo!" Luke cheered. "It's a finger-twitch battle!"

"You're on!" Lina howled.

"Ignore them," Lee advised shortly. "That is a Cheep Cheep. In this, you just have to press the 'A' button repeatedly, as quickly as you can, and press this to dive…only two buttons to keep track of. Right, those two." He noted that the ingenuous youth had to look down at his fingers to make sure they were in the right place, rather than keeping his eyes on the game. A major handicap. He would have to drill him on this later on…

"But I don't understand why we have to compete all of the time. Aren't they all friends? The big turtle is the villain, right?" Subaru tried to understand.

Lee shrugged. "It's a game; they're just skill-tests. Think of it like that. It's not violence, just rewards for special skills."

"Finger-twitch!" Luke gurgled.

"Oh…" Subaru processed that information.

"Okay, let's start!" Lina's thumb pounded down on the button.

Whips of asparagus splashed down into hot, hot water, while a rain of macaroni fell into the taller pot beside it. Large blocks of pale potato were already heating in the biggest pot in the back of the range. Steam and the hair of the cooks clouded the air.

"I hope there's enough for everyone…" Zel murmured, carefully slicing red onions into pretty rings to adorn the salad.

"There are enough potatoes in there to snow in the school," Bobby pointed out.

"What a marvelous idea! Mashed-potato snow! I wonder why no one ever thought of that as an element of a winter diorama before!" Xelloss exclaimed comically.

"Probably because we are generally encouraged NOT to play with our food," Zel sighed.

"I'll bet I could make a mashed-potato snowman at dinner! Zelly, can I have that carrot-tip for the nose?"

"Absolutely not!" Zel chucked it into the garbage as quickly as his elven reflexes allowed.

Unfortunately, being a bit of a fairy didn't seem to help Subaru's reflexes any (Ouch. Sorry, there, rat slipping.)

It was the end of another round, and the contestants were about to take part in another 4-player minigame. Lina was a star behind Luke, but had more coins; Filia was rich rich rich, and poor Sub was penniless and itemless and had not one game-winning star to his name, despite Lee's excellent coaching. The greatest music school in the world cannot teach a tone-deaf person to sing…

Last time, he had failed miserably at a strange game in which one pressed a button to slap a picture of a flower with a giant fly-swatter when the appropriate flower icon came up. It took him a long time to process images, and he just couldn't quite remember which button to push, despite Lee's repetition of the mantra, 'there are only two buttons, and they don't move!'

This time, he was told that he could press 'A' repeatedly to build a snowball. 'A' was the green button. He knew where that was. All he had to do was press that a lot…

The little sprites on the screen fervidly patted at the white background, a ball miraculously forming in front of them to the sound of plastic buttons being tapped. Subaru was beginning to grow pleased with his creation (at least he could see the direct product of his actions) when, out of the blue, his character was blasted off the screen.

Of course, the instructions did not really end with 'make a big ball of snow.' Then you had to press 'A' again to kick it at someone. Of course, they would be kicking snowballs at him, as well.

They were always kicking things at each other, or bouncing on each other, or shooting torpedoes, or something! And they had to be so fast to notice things, so fast to react! It was a bit too much for him to comprehend… And he always lost before he knew what was happening.

He always…

…lost before…

…he knew…

…

Bobby checked on Xelloss' cheese grating operations. "Almost done. Good. My cream sauce is ready when you are."

"'kay…"

"You seem unusually quiet all of a sudden. Something wrong?" Bobby was attuned to other people's moods and open to discussion concerning them.

"Ah, yeah. I was just thinking about… See, I just met this girl…" Xelloss looked askance at Sylphiel and said no more.

"Oh, the old love mess, eh?" Bobby nodded appreciatively. "Go on…"

"Yes, well…she's not too pleased that I have to be away so long…over the holiday and all. She had been counting on me joining her family for dinner, I believe."

"Oh, ho ho!" Bobby smiled. "So she's your _girlfriend_, then?" He had been trying to figure out who went with whom for some time—to avoid making any imprudent remarks or associations. Some people are very sensitive about these things.

"I guess so…"

Zel shot him a look that said 'You'd _better_ acknowledge that!', then aloud said, "Of course she is, Xelloss."

"We haven't much time to see one another. I see her in math, then leave, then there's band at least four times a week, not counting gigs, the shrine—which I've been trying to get back to on a regular basis."

"You've seen her more in the last few days," Zel reminded him.

"Yeah, because I knew I wouldn't get the chance for another week, almost. I would like to take her some places, like a movie or dancing, but…there just isn't time in my life for a real relationship." Xelloss shook his head.

Sylphiel had been listening silently. She found the conversation gripping. "But weren't you just offering to take Lina to the beach Wednesday and blow off that Candy girl?"

Xelloss' expression hardened. "Leave Lina out of this. This has nothing to do with her, understand?"

Sylphiel jumped at his harsh tone. "Well, I…ah…"

Xelloss slammed down the grater saying, "It's done." Then he stomped out of the kitchen.

Bobby looked traded looks of consternation with Zelgadiss. "Should...someone go talk to him? Or is he always like this?"

"Not usually." Zel answered, listening to Xelloss footsteps trailing off…a slamming door…

"Go on then, check on him. Dinner's nearly done until the chicken needs to come out. This lovely lass and I can finish up," Bobby said encouragingly.

Zel nodded and set down his dishtowel. "All right."

Slam!

Amelia winced. "There goes Mr. Xelloss. I hope he and Mr. Zelgadiss aren't fighting again."

"I didn't think he ever stopped smiling," Luke observed.

"It doesn't happen very often... Oh, no...I lose another turn. Mr. Lee? Here you go. Maybe you can get past that Bowser guy this time."

"All riiiiight!" he purred. Lee moved his player to the next square and gathered his winnings. "See, Sub, it's just like a board game; you have to plan ahead a few moves and keep track of where everyone is…" he was getting into coaching as much as playing—a talent he reserved primarily for video games.

Amelia smiled when she noticed Zelgadiss storming into the room, eyes searching. Gourry caught Zel in his blue gaze and pointed to the front door. Zel gave him a clipped nod and turned. Amelia looked up expectantly. He shook his head and signaled for her to sit down. This he'd do alone. He shrugged his shoulders and resolutely left in pursuit of Xelloss.

"Ah...he didn't look too happy either," Luke noted.

Lina had lost the 'finger-twitch' battle to Luke. That combined with the gnawing hunger in her stomach was making her a bit testy. While wandering around restlessly, she had seen the entire silent Zel-charade and snapped back, "Zel's rarely happy. He needs an excuse to be outraged and mope, and Xelloss provides him with plenty of ammunition. They'll be okay." She frowned at the kitchen door. "I'm more worried about my dinner getting done right now."

He found Xelloss leaning against a tree halfway down the block. "If I'd gone on any further I would have gotten myself lost," Xelloss confided.

"Glad you had the presence of mind to save me the trouble of having to hunt for you."

Xelloss grunted in reply.

"So, let _me_ tell _you_ what the problem is," Zel sighed.

Xelloss shook his head and pounded on the tree trunk.

"You have to let go of Lina, Xelloss. No matter how you think you…"

"I love Lina, Zelgadiss. I can't just…let that go. It doesn't just _go._"

"Then what about Candy, then? You just going to keep her around for fun? That girl's crazy about you! She'd do just about anything for you, and has."

Xelloss turned away.

"You can't just fool around with her. She's a human being, a worthwhile one at that. She has a heart. You should use yours. Xelloss, listen, Lina's…a distant, improbable shooting star. She's out there. Candy is down-to-earth real, the here-and-now. What more do you want, huh?" Zel watched his friend intently for a reaction.

"The stars…I shoot for the stars…" Xelloss whispered huskily.

"You are _nuts_! And you are showing a cruel side I don't like, too. It's too late to break it off with Candy and not hurt her deeply, but you had better."

"I love her too," Xelloss sighed. "I like being with her. The closeness. I feel an attachment growing…"

"Well, I'm pleased to hear that," Zel said sarcastically.

"No, I _mean_ it!" Xelloss said loudly. "It's confusing. If we could spend more time together I think…maybe…" His voice dwindled off into uncertainty. "And I…got another photo."

"What?"

"Black and white, candid shot in glasses. Again taken from a distance."

Zel's heart quickened. "Message?"

"Yes…it said…'Come out, come out, wherever you are.' That's it."

Zel bowed his head. He was getting real tired of all this. "We have to get on a computer and scan for news concerning the mayor," Zel reminded Xelloss. "Then plan to get together for another meeting."

"As soon as we get back? Whom shall we invite? Amelia, certainly, and Lina _naturally_. Anyone else?" Xelloss asked.

"No. Phil will advise us as he sees fit, but in the end, the fewer people involved, the better and particularly the less dangerous. That message to you though…I wonder if there's a connection. Not that there should be… Who knows who's behind that harassment?" Zel sighed and continued rambling to his friend. "That note, the one I took from Grauscherra…that one may have described a real plot or a trap for us. We don't know and can't tell, though I wish we could intercept additional communiqués from other sources to confirm our guess one way or another."

"That's what the laptop's for!" Xelloss said feeling chipper again. He pushed off from the tree.

"Laptop? What laptop? You…you didn't buy…? You didn't bring…?" Zel sputtered. He was practically salivating with excitement. Technology! Something beyond the game consoles that the other band seemed to be attached to at the hip…

"Yes, in my bag back in my room, I bought and I brought!" Xelloss giggled and danced around his friend. "I'll go get it."

"Nonsense. We'll both go."

Shortly thereafter, they were alone in the den; Xelloss was plugging in cables for power and the Internet. "Okay, let's try the Dynast account for activity first."

"All quiet on the northern front, it appears." Zel sighed and reached for the computer. "Let me play a minute. What about that crazy aunt of yours, the dolphin lady? How do we check that operation's account?"

"Ah, just go to syndicate partner links over there, yeah . . . then scan for codes with embedded 'deep sea dolphin' references." Xelloss pointed at the screen while Zel scrolled down, down, down. "There!"

"Got it! Now you say it's normally dead, right?"

"As the _proverbial doorknob_. Not much action in her _neck of the woods_."

Zel looked askance at his friend. "Where do you come up with those passé sayings?"

Xelloss smiled, "TV?"

"You don't watch television." Zel smiled back.

"Ah, well, I'll blame it on TV anyway. That's what everyone else does. Wait! Hold yer horses thar boy! What have we got? It says...'Mayor shmayer, look for the Beastmaster's general and priest...'"

"Beastmaster? What kind of idiocy wrote this?" Zel spat.

"Amentia," he quipped. "Now, Beastmaster, that was Zelas' title. I was her general and I am a priest. This is a memo telling someone to locate me...I don't know who the encoded name is for here... but it's a reply to another message. Let's see if we can trace that one, okay?"

"'Mayor...shmayer?' These are syndicate operatives writing this?" Zel shook his head while Xelloss continued to search for missing links.

"Rather elite-class ones at that!" Xelloss murmured in reply. "Ah...no luck, wait there's more here... 'Sending photos. Verify identity. Most recent 2 months.' Zelgadiss, those pictures the one of me with the hair drier and the one I got the other day might be those."

"Hmmm and the 'mayor' reference may relate to that other matter."

"The one that may be a trap for us? Could be. I'd really like to know more before we get back to Seyruun." Xelloss continued to scan, click, and read. "My eyes hurt. I'm going to take out my contacts. Wanna see what you can come up with?"

Zel nodded, "I don't have those syndicate pass-codes memorized though. Eh, don't worry. I'll make do."

He was intent on locating the identification for the sender or receiver or more of the chain of communication. The mayor was running for re-election, usually a done-deal for Phil since no one was seriously challenging him. A fast, straight, race. But if that memo Zelgadiss had stolen from Grauscherra's office was correct, Phil's campaign would be in for a bumpy ride. Someone was planning to put up some roadblocks. And why? Well, if they spoiled the contest in such a way as to alter the outcome in favor of some syndicate character, then the Great City-State of Seyruun was headed for dark times indeed…

At the sound of footfalls at his back, Zel remarked, "Take a look at this and tell me if you think the syndicate is capable of...?" Zel's keen hearing alerted him; the person entering the room was _not_ Xelloss. He twisted around and focused on the interloper.

"I'm…sorry if I am intruding. I was just putting away this coat. My...suitcase is over there, by the couch."

"Subaru," Zelgadiss sighed. "It's all right. This is your room as much as mine. I was just looking up some...things."

They were thankfully interrupted by Lina's delicate holler, "**_D I N N E R !_** Come and git it while there's somethin' left! Oh, and after that…Macross Studios!"

Groans.

"Yeah, _tonight_. We're payin' for the studio whether we use it or not. So we use it!" she snapped back.

"Bit of a driver, that one?" Bobby said with a tilt of his head to Val grumbling at his side. "We need people like her."

"Just don't let her get behind the wheel of a car with you," Val said. "She drives like she looks right now."

Bobby's eyes took in the wild determined Lina who had launched herself at the dining room table, plunging in with fevered determination.

"Oh, well…yes, I get your point," Bobby gasped, shivering with fright at the scene…and the prospect of Lina driven and drivin'.

* * *

From the Authors:

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Twenty-two.


	23. Birthdays Once a Year Is Enough!

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 23 **

**Birthdays-- Once A Year Is Enough!**

"Ah, so that's what all the noise is about! Must be love, Lina style." -- Bobby

**

* * *

The first birthday.**

"Oh, Mr. Bobby!" Amelia squealed as the older boy carried out the enormous cheesecake he had prepared. "It's beautiful, isn't it Zelgadiss?"

Zel's mouth cracked open, but he simply stared. Never had he ever seen such an immense dessert. It was aesthetically pleasing like a work of art, and a little grotesque, and a _lot_ surreal. Standing six, maybe seven inches deep and possibly twenty inches in width, the ivory white disk was lightly bronzed near the center and creamy white along the edges where the filling met its barely visible coffee-colored, crumbly crust.

Lina was thrilled. In fact, she was so excited by the mammoth culinary achievement that she asked Bobby how he'd managed it.

He beamed with pride. "I have to say it was a first for me. I just kept doubling and doubling the recipe until it filled the biggest casserole dish in the cupboard. Now," he turned to the birthday boy and asked, "I wasn't sure what kind of topping you preferred so I left it off and put it out in these bowls. Kind of a help-yourself service. I tend to over do, I'm told."

Zel cleared his throat. "Plain. I like it plain, best. Thank you. It looks...it looks..."

"Absolutely perfect. How about serving it?" Lina interrupted.

They had spent the entire day at the studio, although little recording was done. Most of the staff had taken the evening off for celebrating Thanksgiving with their friends and families, so the bands practiced arrangements, laid down some vocals for a few songs and instrumentals for others. They would begin serious recording the next morning, Friday. Lina envisioned working non-stop Friday through Sunday noon, when they would have to leave in order to get everyone home before the day became Monday. And there was school to deal with on Monday. Of course, there was that little dinner date, and whatever, for Amelia and Zel to schedule in on Friday as well. So this was a break, time allotted for celebrating between work shifts, granted to them by her honor, Lina. She was watching the clock. With all the goofing around and chit-chat, they were close to wearing into their precious studio time.

"Miss Sylphiel, the candles! Where did you put them?" Amelia cried out.

"Gods no, Amelia…just cut the cake will ya?" Lina moaned.

"Oh, I forgot all about them," Sylphiel admitted. "I left them in my purse. Just a second..."

"It's fine. I don't need any candles," Zel said in his low voice. He was in no hurry to leave and get back to work, but he didn't want a fuss made over him. Actually…he did, but he didn't want it to _appear_ as if he did.

"That's right. And we don't wanna waste time just looking at it," Lina said. She pushed a serving knife closer to Zel. "Well?"

"Oh you have to have the candles to get your birthday wish!" Amelia told him. "Sylphiel!"

Zel sighed. With a smirk to Lina, he nudged the serving knife back in Lina's direction.

"You want me to drive this through your heart, birthday boy?" Lina growled. "Is that your wish?"

Sylphiel noisily dug through her bag until the tiny package was found. "Got them!"

"Not particularly," Zel said calmly. He watched as Bobby took the package and dutifully decorated the top with...

"How many?" Bobby asked.

"Eighteen!" Amelia volunteered.

"_Eighteen_? Old man, huh?"

"Mr. Val and Mr. Gourry are too and Mr. Xelloss is nearly nineteen!" Amelia told him.

Luke looked at Sarah. They were the youngest at fourteen, turning fifteen. "Yeah but when they turn thirty we'll still be in the prime of our lives," he said, relishing that notion of superiority.

"Ah..." Bobby sighed with pleasure as Val did the honors and lit the last candle.

"Enough flame to toast marshmallows," Xelloss commented to Lee at his side.

"You bring any?" Lee asked in his mild, wry manner.

"Ah...no..." Xelloss smiled and joined in the singing. "Happy birthday to yuuuuu...Happy birthday to yuuuu. Happy Birth-day Mis-ter Zel-GA-dissssss. Happy birthday to yuuuuu!"

This time Amelia remained quiet. She was satisfied to sit back and watch Zel make his wish and blow out the flaming wax sculpture without her prompting this year. He didn't blush until the last candle flickered and winked out, and everyone cheered at his accomplishment.

"I'm cuttin' it," Lina announced. "Anybody got a problem with that?"

Since she already had the knife, and was standing, blade upraised and eyes glowing feverishly, no one fought her for the honor, which was a good thing since she wasn't about to relinquish the knife willingly for _any_one for _any_ reason. She was going to be the first at that desert, no matter what.

Slice, scoop, slop– the first slice, a generous one, flopped onto a ready plate. Then, to everyone's disbelief, she smiled sweetly and placed the offering in front of Zel's astonished face. "For the birthday boy!"

"Ah, thanks, Lina," he murmured.

Lina gave him a wink and returned to her serving. She dished out a slice for everyone, before finally slicing off a gigantic slab of cheesecake for herself. "Well? How is it?"

Pearl broke the awed silence. "Oh, Bobby! You out-did yourself. You really did. It is soooo good."

And then, everyone joined in, diving into their cool, smooth triangles of creamy cake and praising Bobby for his success. A fine feast.

No sooner had they scraped clean their last plate and set down their last spoon, than Lina shunted the cleaning crew into the kitchen.

"What's your rush?" Zel asked, he not being part of the meal preparation or cleaning team tonight.

Lina replied, she not being part of either crew likewise, "Back to the studio. You know the schedule."

"I see. So, this was my birthday break?"

"Yeah, it might have been longer but we have to make up for tomorrow when you guys take Amelia out."

"So I am paying for that on my birthday time? Just wanted to be sure. If that's how it works... Oh, and _I_ am taking Amelia out, Filia's on her own. We'll cross paths at the art show, but that's all. Not the dinner."

Lina looked him over and nodded. "Good for you. You acknowledged being the instigator of the date thing. She's a good kid...and so are you."

"_Am_ I?"

Lina's eyes narrowed. "Yes, for as long as I've known you, you're one of the best people I know. Maybe even the best, I don't know. I mean, you're a guy and that's one strike against you."

Zel raised an eyebrow as far as his scarred brow would crease. "_Against_ me? I would have thought the stealing, breaking and entry, and bald-faced lying that I've been doing would be possible liabilities. I have no control over...my gender."

"I guess it makes you more interesting...for dating purposes, like for Amelia," Lina said awkwardly.

Zel blushed slightly. "There's that..."

"What?" Lina wondered what was on her friend's mind these days. His mood swings still occurred but extreme highs and lows were gone. Was he mellowing a little? Accepting his appearance? Did she have Amelia's persistence and upbeat positive-ness to thank for redeeming or at least salvaging Zel's personality? Or was it living with Xelloss and Val, playing in the band, distracting him from his problems and providing some purpose to his life, which was transforming Zelgadiss? "You okay?"

Instead of answering immediately, Zel scanned Lina's face for clues to her thinking, and found himself smiling. Gods...she was a knock out. His dear, dear friend was growing into a stunner. A blushing beauty.

The heat rose to her face under Zel's scrutiny. "What's the matter? I got cheesecake on my face or something?"

Zel smiled wider and drew his hands up under his chin, resting it there. That was the second time he'd made a friend, a girl one, blush. "No. A few freckles...a tiny scar under your right eye from last summer." He looked down at her hands. "And one on your right hand from..."

"The fight with Gaav, yeah, I remember. What's the smile about? You're gettin' all weird..."

"Am I?"

"_YES_! Now you're starting to _creep_me out. You _definitely_ have been spending _too_ much time with Xelloss and Val. _Stop_ grinning! _No _laughing! **Zel,** I'm warnin' ya…you are about to get smacked!"

Zel was laughing though. His arms folded on the table gave a cushion for his forehead, while his body was racked with good humored shaking. He didn't care. For a moment he wasn't Zelgadiss the scared-for-life boy no one could love, he was Zel the man who could flirt, if just a little. Not that he'd meant to exactly. It was his birthday and he was one up on Lina Inverse.

"Ya can't do that," Gourry said. "It's his birthday." He had finished washing dishes and had left the rest of the clean up to the others.

Lina jumped out of her seat, pivoting mid air. "Where did you come from? Sneaking up on me?"

Gourry shook his head. "Not me, Lina. I, ahhhh… was all done in there and I came out ta see how Zel was doin' and all. He looks like he's, um… doin' okay, though. Did I miss a good joke? Musta embarrassed you somethin' fierce ta make ya go all red in the face like that. Ha Ha…"

Nothing Zel could say or do could save Gourry from Lina's wrath now. Gourry's hollers (no pain, no gain, right?) and Lina's merged as they dashed helter-skelter through the living room.

Bobby sprinted out of the kitchen to catch the action. "Ah, so that's what all the noise is about! Must be love, Lina style."

Lina must have overheard that because the next moment she was ordering everyone out of the house and into the van.

**

* * *

The second birthday.**

Zelgadiss was in the shower or he would have overheard a conversation about him he would not have wanted to.

"Well, he seems excited to be going out," Sarah noted to Lina, who she was beginning to look up to. They were waiting their turns at the video game du jour. Sarah was a garrulous kid, but had been holding back some until she felt less intimidated by the wondrous, talented, and older Lina inverse.

"Yeah, as much as he gets. Nail him, Bobby!" Lina answered disinterestedly. Bobby didn't have a chance against Lee's superior skills, however. Super Smash Bros battle noises blipped and squeaked in the background.

"That's good. Being out with a girl is…you know, a good thing for him right now." Sarah paused to see if Lina was catching on. She wasn't. "You know, what with the rumors and all."

"Rumors? What rumors?" Lina was attentive now. Bobby had lost and was out of the running anyway.

"Well that article in the music magazine didn't help either…"

"What? That stupid thing? No one reads that and if they do either they knew it was nonsense or they're idiots." Lina snapped and returned her attention back to the players. Val was taking over the lead from Lee, if Lee's wails were any indication of what was happening.

"That and the fact that he doesn't date, or hasn't until today, and lives with him, you know, and they share a locker and are seen coming to school together and…"

"What are you talking about?" Lina leaned back and stared the young girl in the eye. "Zel lives with Val too."

"Just that some kids have been hinting around that Zel's…you know…gay…like Xelloss…"

"Idiots!" Lina exploded. She mashed her hands over Sarah's mouth to stop her babbling. In a chilling whisper Lina continued, "For godssakes, don't let Zel hear you say that!"

Sarah, eye wide in terror shook her head back and forth, and it was more for her own sake as for the gods.

Lina released her and expelled a sigh. "If the guys aren't drooling over girls, and Xelloss practically does anyway, then the socialites just go and draw some insane conclusion… ARGH! I can't stand high school! I just hate this crap!"

"I do too. Hey, we, the guys here you know… we know better and we try and straighten them out, the rumor mongers…" Bobby piped quickly to stifle Lina's outrage, though too late to save Sarah's ego, perhaps purposefully.

"Zel doesn't date because he hates himself and he's shy and he's busy. Xelloss dates girls from the college, lately, it seems, so know one sees him with girl in tow. Geesh…this is so lame…"

Filia sauntered by. "It's true though. I hear some girls moaning over 'the lost causes'. Fans, I guess. Zel could have his pick if he opened his eyes, or cared. We should do something about it."

"Why? It'll blow over. If not, well that's their problem to deal with. Xelloss seems able to tough it out and Zel is oblivious. They aren't at school much anyway and they'll soon be done with it." Lina motioned that the subject was closed.

Filia smiled oddly. "Well, I have an idea…" And before Lina could stop her, as if she cared to, Filia was roaming the house in search of Xelloss.

She found him closeted away in the den with Luke and Subaru and the laptop. Apparently Luke was quite skillful with a computer drawing tool and was leading a demonstration of layering techniques to assemble a face.

"Xelloss."

"Yes, Miss Filia?" Xelloss rose to his feet and met her at the door. "What may I do for you?"

"You can change your clothes and come with me to the ATMET show."

He frowned slightly. "Rather sudden."

"You haven't anything better to do, right?"

"Since you put it that way, how can I resist?" He smiled. "Why with that honeyed tongue of yours, you have convinced me to break down and throw in dinner as well."

She wasn't quite sure if that had been an insult or not. "We can't go to the same place as Zel and Amelia."

"We won't."

"Okay. You have any clothes?"

"No, Filia. I thought I'd just go nude. That okay with you?" Xelloss said sharply. She just goaded him into it like always.

"A suit and tie."

"Sports coat, turtleneck, no tie."

"Good enough!" she snorted and whisked out of the room.

"Nice girl," Luke said sarcasm dripping from his black-painted lips.

"Oh, her? She's awful." Xelloss smiled.

"Then why are you going with her? Seems like she could pick someone she liked more," Luke wondered. Dating seemed to be a very puzzling experience to the younger guy.

"She chose me because I look good with her. A yin and yang thing, I guess you could say. I'm going along because she can be so much fun to aggravate." Xelloss answered truthfully, and then chuckled. "Don't shut it off. Just let it hibernate when you're done, 'kay?"

Luke nodded and waved him off, as if _he_ needed someone to tell him how to operate a laptop. "That's right, Sub. If you want that part of the picture to be darker, go up to the color icon and highlight it…yeah…"

"You're doing okay?" Xelloss asked Subaru who had been quiet up until now.

"Oh yes. I really do like to draw," Subaru revealed. "And this isn't too difficult to use, is it?"

"I leave you in good hands then," Xelloss smiled and left. He had noticed that Subaru's spirits seemed lighter than when they'd first arrived and that he'd completed a sentence without hesitation…and without even a single stutter.

…

Zelgadiss examined himself in the mirror. He had to, to tie his tie. He ran his hand along the edge of his lapel. Dark sage green, his hair did look good against that color. And the shirt was cream not bright white, just as she had suggested; she being Zelas. Funny, she was talented that way, picking a guy's wardrobe. Good taste. Too bad it had never broadened to include her own wardrobe, too trampish. Xelloss hadn't picked up those 'genes' either. He always was coming to him or even Val for color choices. Zel wondered if he might even be color blind. He came out of his revere when there was a knock at his door and a head sticking in.

"Just me!"

"What are you doing in here?" Zel asked his friend entering the room.

"Borrowing your gold turtleneck. I haven't a tie and it goes great with this jacket, right?"

"It's all right together. I meant, why are you getting dressed up?"

"Filia…told me to. She's assigned me to be her arm decoration at the ATMET."

Zel let out his breath. "I thought I was doing this alone. Then Filia got involved. Now you…"

Xelloss smiled sympathetically. "Oh, we won't get in your way at all! I promise! We'll go together in that car we're borrowing, and then split up at the art show. We'll taxi from there. No problem!" Xelloss replied.

Zel shrugged his shoulders. "You had better not be… I'm only doing all this for Amelia's sake, you know."

"Of _course_ you are, little brother!" Xelloss laughed, indicating plainly that he didn't believe Zel one bit. He knew Zel had been anticipating a good time to be had, in spite of himself.

The two 'couples' hurried out of the house not wanting to hear the friendly taunts of their friends or to wait any of their precious downtime with idle conversation. Zel had the borrowed keys to Bobby's cousin's car. He opened the passenger door for Amelia then dashed around to the driver seat leaving Xelloss to fend for Filia.

"You know where we're going, I take it?" Filia asked Zel as she settled into the back seat.

"Other than 'insane'…?" Zel muttered sarcstically, or something much like that.

Amelia punched him playfully in the arm. "This is going to be so much fun. I just know it!"

"Don't say that!" Xelloss warned her. "You'll jinx the whole thing!"

Zel turned his head to peer over his shoulder at his friends in back. "You're here. I need no other omen of bad luck."

Xelloss made a face at him and Filia laughed. Zel started the car and they were off to the ATMET, Atlas City's most prestigious gallery containing thousand of priceless pieces of art plus the featured collection on loan.

…

"These tickets will get us in without waiting in that line," Filia pointed out. "Just move over to the right and go through that members-only door."

"Right." Zel was only too happy to comply. Waiting in lines with hordes of people, bored people with nothing to do but stare…at him… But as he and his friends passed, he could hear voices, muted ones saying the oddest things.

"Look! It's them. All four of them…from the Slayers!"

"Slayers?"

"Where? Ooooh, the yummy ones. See, I told you they like girls…"

"It's the Slayers!"

"Get a look at the hot babes…"

"Slayers…"

"From that band…"

"The Slayers…"

They entered the doorway, cutting off the crowd swelling behind them.

"Did you hear that?" Amelia asked. "They recognized us!"

Filia smiled, "Well, that's a twist. I figured in Seyruun we were familiar, but here we'd be safe. Well, Zel, kinda nice, huh?"

Zel simply shrugged. But inside, he was secretly thrilled.

"We should take in the featured exhibit first, before the rest of the throng comes," Filia suggested. She took Xelloss' arm and wrapped hers around it.

"Okay," he smiled. The arm thing tossed him another curve. He decided to just go with the flow, whatever that meant. He never knew with Filia just where she was taking them.

Amelia thought they looked sweet, and so, threaded her arm through Zel's too. "It's so exciting!"

Zel shivered at the contact, but didn't pull away. "Over there. The signs…"

The exhibit displayed both paintings and sculptures centered on a single theme, nudes. Big and small, male and female.

Zelgadiss picked up on the theme immediately. "I thought it would be a photographic technique study," he remarked in a hoarse voice. He didn't know which way to steer Amelia.

"'Overexposed—An Expose Done Over.' I get it!" Xelloss giggled. "I am _so_ glad you invited me, Miss Filia. Was this your _parents' _choice or _yours_? Not that it matters, I was just wondering who to thank."

Filia elbowed him, "Shut up." He could still be so immature at times.

Amelia's eyes danced around. "Let's start at the beginning. These are in chronological order. See the first is a rubbing from a Stone Age cave. The first drawing we have of one person by another. The next rendition is of…" She continued reading the captions and commenting smartly on each of the artworks. In this way she eased them past a rough, uncomfortable moment and turned the awkward start into an intellectual pursuit. Something Zel could appreciate. Something the four friends could handle in an adult manner.

"This Rodan fellow was into voluptuous, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, look at this Mary Cassatt. That's some over-weight baby she's holding." Filia pointed out one picture as they entered the more modern period.

They all agreed that 'thin' was a contemporary sought-after look, not one of the past. Thin meant 'starving' and was not admired, until recently.

"It's okay if I admire this painting, right? I mean it _is_ a nude male." Xelloss smiled at Filia.

"It's a Sargent. It's priceless. You can admire the workmanship, just not the subject," she allowed, then winked back.

Filia did have a sharp wit that he admired, even if it was pointed his way far too often. Oh and she as breathtakingly gorgeous. He found it much easier to put himself into an emotional lockdown around her when he kept her at arm's length. "Oh, that's reserved for you, then?" he added with a smirk and strode off to join Zel and Amelia in front of an abstract painting.

Xelloss squinted and stood back. "I don't see it."

"See what?" Zel asked.

"The nude. Is it male or female?"

"Female." Zel said curtly.

"How can you tell? At least the Picasso had the lumps in the right places and he was abstract."

"It just is…" Zel grumbled. His further comment was cut off by Amelia's cry.

She had moved on to where a small crowd was clustering around a painting, the last and most recent, but after taking a peek at what it was, she had rushed to Filia's side and told her, "That's all. Let's go. I'm famished!"

"But there's more…" Xelloss pointed out.

Filia yanked him back. "It's her birthday trip. Time to move on."

Zel let his curiosity overcome his wisdom, and headed off toward the group of people.

"Zelgadiss!" Amelia cried out. "It's really not a good idea. **Please**."

Zel nearly fainted. Somehow he had this knowing feeling that something would happen. His karma had been in suspended animation lately, lulling him into an irrational sense of security. "Oh…no…" He tore his eyes away when Amelia jolted him out of his stupor with a tug on his sleeve. Zel summoned his wits together and faked his composure. "Amelia, we have to get Xelloss out of here before…"

But it was, of course, too late to do that. Once Xelloss had broken free of Filia's hold he had followed Zel for a look at the last display. Oh…my… If this were a fantasy story, it would have been written that a dark aura of pent up fury was building and building around Xelloss' form. Even his hair was starting to float upwards as if it were electrically charged.

"No…" he groaned, an awful guttural sound.

Filia and Zelgadiss both grabbed an arm and hauled him towards the exit, trying not to draw any attention their way.

"That's _him_!" Zel could hear people whispering.

The whispers rose to shouts. It was a mob scene before they made it to the outside. Fans or not, the foursome were terrified that they might just torn apart.

"Get down on your hands and knees!" Xelloss shouted, pulling Filia down with him. "Crawl!"

Zelgadiss and Amelia did the same. Sirens crooned. The police arrived and quickly formed a barrier in an attempt to clear the area around the front of the museum even though they weren't certain of the cause. It was bedlam! Chaos surrounded them.

Xelloss' suggestion worked, though. The fans and onlookers lost the foursome in the commotion, and Zelgadiss led his friends at a snail's pace, literally a crawl, to their parked vehicle.

"Here put this on," Filia yelled. She jammed a striped knit cap, which she had found lying half under the back seat, over Zelgadiss' head.

"It's too _small_!" he crabbed.

"Too _bad_!" she sympathized. "And **you**, lay down!" Filia shoved Xelloss' head onto her lap just as a family walked by their car, the teenage son glancing their way.

Amelia covered her hands with her face and ducked below the window.

Zelgadiss muttered a curse and started the car.

The parking lot attendant recognized them at once, but his professionalism rose to the top. He directed the nervous teens to an alternate exit, "Take the first right you come to, then a left to get out of this district. Where are you heading? Okay, then take Market Street all the way to Third and you'll be a block from a parking garage for the restaurant. Oh, and it's got an underground entrance you should use."

"Thanks," Zel said with a gasp. Without thinking he yanked off the cap. "You got kids? Here, you can keep this then."

"Wow, hey, thanks man!" the attendant grinned and waved before running back to his post where cars were lining up to exit.

"That was a very nice thing to do," Amelia said quietly.

"What, the hat? Oh, well, it was…just an afterthought… Listen, we should go straight back to the house. I'm sorry, Amelia. This wasn't what I had planned at all. I don't think I can guarantee your safety."

Amelia nodded eyes downcast. Her disappointment, although she was silent, could be felt throughout the car.

"Xelloss, _do_ something. Think of poor Amelia!" Filia hissed in his ear.

He spoke up for the first time. "Just a minute. No, go on to the restaurant." He pulled out his cell phone and punched in the restaurant's number. "Hello? Xelloss Metallium. Yes, party of four, that's instead of the Greywords party of two. Private room. Yes. About…five minutes. Thank you." He met Zel's eyes in the rearview mirror. "Guess we'll be joining you at that!"

"Oh…joy…" Zel sighed. And turned at the next corner, leaving the wailing sirens and flashing emergency lights behind them.

A man on guard duty, cleverly dressed up as a waiter, met their car and taking the keys, hurried the four kids through the unmarked door to a waiting elevator. "Third floor," he ordered the elevator operator, and then disappeared.

Zelgadiss shot Xelloss another, certainly not the last, look of quiet condemnation. "Why do I feel like I have just walked into a damned syndicate operation?"

Xelloss affected a British accent and replied, "Because, little brother, you are paranoid. Nasty problem of yours. Ought to get a hold of yourself. Now then, this is our stop, if you would be so good as to follow the nice waiter to our table?"

Amelia, ready to please and be pampered, smiled. "What a nice place, Mr. Zelgadiss. And the service! I feel like a princess!"

To which Zelgadiss answered simply, "Happy birthday."

From another part of the country, a youthful sounding woman triumphantly exclaimed, "We got him!"

"Oh, Sherra…" a bored man replied dubiously. "All you got was a kid caught selling his body for some bucks."

"What? Did you notice how he was able to contrive an escape route out of thin air? Or how quickly he got lawyers and the press working to his advantage? No? That's no ordinary high school teenager we have there. He's trained and has connections. Now to tighten the noose… Drag in the net…"

"Sherra, dearest? Are you planning something else now? Please be careful. I don't want you to blow our cover so soon. I'm beginning to like this job. Authority to wield…and the teachers all look up to me. They listen, Sherra! They _like_ me!"

The woman shot him a disparaging look. "If we play this correctly, you'll have the power of the entire syndicate at your disposal. Minions to cower beneath you!"

"Well, there is that, but it's all so big and so much trouble…" Grauscherra sighed. "As long as you tend to the details, then I suppose so…"

"I'll handle everything. Just put your stamp here."

* * *

From the Authors:

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Twenty-three.


	24. Prelude To A Dance

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 24 **

**Prelude to a Dance**

"Ooooh that would be nice, but that wasn't my wish!" -- Amelia

* * *

"You are kidding me," Lina insisted. "You got swarmed by fans?"

"Yes...and no," Filia explained. She was reading over the sheets of lyrics to find one that Pearl was missing.

Xelloss was having a migraine moment alone in the sound booth. Drums were not needed currently or maybe ever again, if he had his druthers.

"We might have gotten through the whole museum, if it hadn't been for that painting." Amelia sighed. "But the folks at the restaurant were so nice to us. We were treated like royalty! It made up for everything. Well, _almost_." The day hadn't been a complete disappointment. Dinner had been lovely. Zelgadiss, heroic. The ride back..._crowded_.

Zelgadiss sank onto the floor, back pressed up against his amp, pretending to be absorbed in playing his guitar. Amelia's youthful immaturity or innocence made her oblivious to the machinations at work. Zel could detect syndicate in the air everyplace they went. Following them, or leading them into a trap? – He couldn't be sure. He wondered if Xelloss knew more, but was keeping it to himself. Zel would find it hard to forgive his 'big brother' if his concealment of important facts led to harming Amelia, aaaah…or anyone else for that matter.

"Isn't that why you went? To see paintings?" Sylphiel spoke up.

"Not _this_ one. It was a painting of Xelloss. _Sans_ clothes, if you know what I mean. And, _no_, he didn't pose for it. Looks like someone got his hands on one of _those_ photos. You can't forget _those_ photos..." Filia went on to explain to the Flying Fig friends about Xelloss' campaign to help abused kids. "He was on the phone instantly tracing the painter, his studio, the museum's curator, the man that sold the artist his paint, you know, _everybody_, trying to figure out how one of his shots got into that guys' hands without his approval. His connections are good, sometimes _too_ good, but anyway…um… Oh, of course, the painting's been pulled from the exhibit pending a huge lawsuit," she assured everybody.

"So...all this happened...but ya got dinner, Amelia?" Gourry asked.

"Yes. It was quite a first date, complete with adventure, games and chaperones," Amelia answered.

"Sorry, hon. You'll just have to wait until you get home to have some special time with _lover-boy_," Filia wrinkled up her nose and made a face at Zelgadiss. He totally disregarded her comment, learning how not to play into her hands.

"Okay, so let's go through the line up one more time, and this time, Lee, you just give us a steady rhythm on that bohran drum-thing, no Xelloss for now." Even Lina had acquired the good sense to ignore Filia's verbal stabs and to leave Xelloss alone with his pain. It was, however, time for business! "I wanna focus on the vocal harmonies."

Later, Zelgadiss entered the sound room as quietly as possible. The room was darkened, lit only by the glowing console lights. "Xelloss? Time to go. Think you can walk by yourself out to the van?"

Xelloss nodded and slowly sat up, pain lining his face. "You...driving the car back?"

"Yes. I'm taking Amelia for a drive. Alone this time."

Xelloss managed a small smile. "Nice. She'll like that." He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I-I'm so sorry about today. I shouldn't have come along. When Filia asked, I should have said no. I wasn't going to, a first, but...she..."

"Forget it. _I'm_ trying to. Something _else_ would have happened anyway, and at least we got rid of that painting before more people ogled it. So, that's over. Go home, get some rest. I'll do the database check tonight, all right?"

"Thanks, Zelgadiss. I do need to get into bed before I get nauseous." He staggered to the door, using Zel as a guide.

"Auras?"

"Yes."

Zel winced. He remembered his last bad headache, which was nothing like these monsters of Xelloss' which were complete with visual distortions. Zel had his hearing problems which caused him no end of suffering sometimes. He understood suffering. Zel silently guided his hurting friend down to the car. "Get in back. It's all right, I'll take you home."

He chased after Amelia. "Change of plans. We'll take Xelloss and drop him off at the house first. He's unable to tolerate noise so I think traveling in the van's a bad idea."

"You're right," she agreed, then slipped into the front seat and closed the door with the barest of clicks. One look at the prone kid stretched out in the back seat and she knew Zelgadiss was a caring soul acting out of the goodness of his heart. She swelled with pride for him. She valued their friendship above all things, and had come to trust and abide by his decisions, even if it meant sharing her Zelgadiss-time with others. She wasn't driven by selfishness or greed, as was her friend Lina.

Val took over when they got back to the house. "Go on. Take yer drive. I'll see that Xelly-boy gets a quiet place to stay."

Zel nodded his thanks, knowing that demonstrating any more gratitude than that would not be manly to show at the time. He tilted his head toward Amelia, "Ready?"

"You bet!" Her face lit up with the eagerness she felt. "Take me for a drive!"

Zel smiled and pulled into the lane. It was nice that _she_ was unafraid to show her unbounded enthusiasm for his company. Inexplicable, but nice. "According to the map, there's a road up to the heights this way."

Amelia sat back and closed her eyes. "Hmmm, anyplace sounds wonderful to me."

"This is the best view so far," Amelia noted sometime later. They had parked the car and gotten out for a better look at the panorama. "Too bad it's all clouded over. No stars for us to count."

"The problem is actually with the city lights... They're too bright here, spoiling the night sky. Even if it was clear, we wouldn't be able to see much anyway. Quiet, though." He leaned his elbows back on the blanket spread over the damp grass. All of Atlas City was spread out at their feet.

"You must appreciate the quiet more than anything, huh?" she stretched out at his side.

"I value it, certainly. Those screaming girls today!"

"That hurt my ears," Amelia said. She reached over and touched the edge of one of his ears. "I can't imagine how you must have felt. You took out the earplugs?"

When the tickly sensation from her harmless stroke stopped, he cleared his throat to answer. "Yes, after the practice. Actually, without the drums, the rest of the instruments can turn down their amps and the noise doesn't bother me."

Amelia looked away, staring into the night. By mutual agreement, they would not bring up Xelloss, school, or discuss the day's events. Zel wondered what it was she saw in him and why she wasn't repulsed by his scars. Was he still her 'cause' to draw out of his shell? She certainly had her pick of better looking, more considerate and personable guys at school, so why hamper her possibilities by sticking with him? Did she consider it her duty, like Xelloss' determination to help Subaru? Had **he **only invited **her** out this date due to a feeling of obligation, or was he growing attached to her as well? He couldn't fathom it, or her. And Xelloss thought **he** was confused…?

She could feel Zel's eyes on her. "So...?"

"So...?" he echoed. Oddly, he noticed that his usual anxiety resulting from being alone with Amelia had vanished.

"So...it was a different kind of birthday today."

"It wasn't really your birthday. You won't be sixteen for...another few days." He had answered in an easy manner and even dropped the preciseness.

"Does that mean I don't get my wish then?"

Zel turned onto his side facing her. "Not necessarily. It depends on what you wished for." That comment was edged with a touch of smugness. Ha, he could be cool and aloof.

"Guess," she said slyly.

Ah... well, he sure stepped into that trap as surely as any caught-off-guard young man would have. Think quick, think quick..."A puppy," he suggested.

"Ooooh that would be nice, but that wasn't my wish!" She smiled widely and scooted closer. "Try again. You get three guesses."

"Three?" There was a slight crack in his voice his time. His suspicions were roused. He detected the sharp mind of a clever lawyer at play here. "And then what, if I don't guess right?"

"I...ah..." she thought a second then poked him on the nose. "That's a secret!"

"Of course." He allowed a smile. He had a card or two to play yet. "All right, ah...a...car."

"Silly! I can't even drive yet! Think harder."

"How about...a necklace?" This time he dropped the humorous tone and avoided her direct gaze.

"A-a necklace?"

"Yes," Zel twisted his jacket around and found the pocket. His hand removed a tiny bundle, and set it on the blanket between them. "I was going to wait until your birthday and give it to you then, but...here...go on..." he urged her.

"Okay." Amelia peeled back the folded notebook paper. The crisp paper crinkled open to reveal a slinky gold chain threaded through a pendant. "Oh, Zelgadiss! It's beautiful." Her voice caught in her throat as she fingered the artifact ornamented with mysterious symbols.

"It was my mother's."

Tears formed in her eyes. "Oh, I can't accept this. You have so few things to remember her by."

"You forget. I never knew her. This doesn't make me think of her. Amelia..." his voice deepened, the tone grew more serious. "You know what this is, don't you?"

"S-syndicate!" She sat up abruptly as she realized just what the decorations were and opened her mouth to object.

"Yes. Now before you jump down my throat and start preaching the White Shrine justice doctrine, let me say this," he paused to let his words sink in and for her to settle down. "I can't always be around to ...protect you from the..."

"Bad guys?"

"Yes, the bad guys. Xelloss told me that the bearer of one of these is awarded some level of protection from a syndicate attack. It's not magical or anything. It's just a symbol of power that means a very high level member of the inner circle entrusts you with their...ah...signature. Hurt you, and the guy is indirectly attacking someone who could destroy him or her and their entire family. At least, that is what Xelloss told me."

"Miss Lina has one, something like it on a necklace. I saw it once."

"That's correct. Xelloss gave his mother's ring to her."

"Lina's wearing Zelas' syndicate ring!"

Zel nodded. "I didn't think it was a smart thing to do at the time, but after he explained what I just said to you, about its value as a protective device, well...I agreed with his decision. The ring or the pendant, it amounts to the same thing. Filia wears her family's heirloom, but I don't know how that works as protection against the syndicate. It might act as a warning."

"What about Miss Sylphiel? Doesn't she need a special security thing too?"

"We are working on that, or I should say Xelloss is. He's tracing this father's identifying heirlooms. In the meantime, wear this always, but keep it covered up. You don't want to draw attention to it..." _His_ attention was diverted, however, while she hooked the chain around her neck and let the heavy pendant fall. It bounced once before nestling into the cleft between her breasts, visible from her low cut blouse.

"How's that?" she asked-- frankly or coyly, he couldn't tell which.

Maybe he had overestimated her naïveté. He felt the heat rise to his face and looked away. He looked down at his hands, the cast away paper, anything, anywhere else but at Amelia! "Maybe if you button up your jacket," he mumbled.

"Thank you, Zelgadiss. That was a very thoughtful present. I love it, but..."

"But?" He shot her a worried look. She wasn't going to refuse it, was she?

"But...it wasn't what I wished for, you know, with my dessert at dinner tonight," she smiled, eyes closed while recalling the event.

Zel sighed. That. Her enthusiasm for keeping traditions, like blowing out birthday candles, would have been led to another embarrassing incident, had there been any other patrons in the restaurant. Without actual candles on her cake slice– and the gods all know that Xelloss would have had the chef stick one on, had he not been otherwise occupied on his cell phone– Amelia ran around the room blowing out the votive candles on each of the vacant tables. Being a bit of a klutzy teenager still, she managed to knock over one of the glass containers and set the tablecloth on fire. Filia's quick-thinking saved the table from destruction. While Zelgadiss looked on in part stupefaction, part horrified amusement, Filia upended a vase of flowers, smothering the flames immediately. When the entertainment was over, Amelia was left with a singed jacket sleeve and Filia with a few water marks spotting her dress.

"Sorry," Amelia had said returning to her place at their table.

Xelloss had closed his cell phone, and looking over Filia's stained dress, had said wittily (or one might think, witlessly), "Learn to drink yet?"

Thereby setting off Filia's subsequent tirade.

Ah, yes...it was a dessert to remember...

"Zelgadiss?"

"Ah...your wish?" His wit surfacing so as to pick up the thread of conversation again.

"Uh huh. You had three guesses and you didn't answer correctly."

"Oh... well...I'm not very intuitive."

She raised an eyebrow. She knew better. Zelgadiss was about as shrewd and perceptive as anyone she could think of. He was just being guarded, as usual, she decided. "Zel-ga-diss..." She shimmied closer. "Then you'll have to take the consequences. Now think! No, don't think, just..."

Of course, she was expecting a kiss, Zel concluded. He leaned in and gave her a quick peck.

That wasn't so bad, he thought. But she hadn't moved. What? More? He slid closer for better leverage, and tried again. As their lips touched, Amelia wrapped her arms around his neck and fell backwards, pulling him along. Whoa... His quick-as-lightening reflexes saved him from crushing her into the less-than-soft ground. Now he was stretched out partway across her, his one elbow taking most of his weight.

He was about to say something. What? He did not know what, but something stupid probably, when, mercifully, Amelia decided to take the lead again and pull him back into another kiss. This time they were more successful.

Zel felt his mind fogging over as he became more and more consumed with their...activity. Not one to be free for long from anxiety when experiencing a pleasurable moment, Zel fashioned an uncomfortable thought. He imagined Mayor Phil standing over them, glaring. This was exactly the kind of behavior the man had warned them about, or warned _Amelia_ about. Him, bad Zel. Phil figured he was a typical, hormone-driven teenage boy, er...man, lusting after his darling daughter. Phil would kill him, if he were here, which he wasn't.

That's right, Phil was not there. Zel cleared his mind of that image, and found that it wasn't difficult at all. No, that wasn't so hard to do.

When had his resolve to avoid closeness, to evade contact within his personal space, vaporized? How had he let Miss Amelia get past his guard? In the dark, all cats looked alike, even mutant elf cats, he supposed.

He still felt awkward. How did the others do it? Val draped his arm over a girl's shoulder and made it seem so natural. Xelloss and his practiced grace could pull off anything, it seemed. Amelia had no problem with hugging... and all. He was stiff and tense, but Amelia seemed relaxed.

He thought about coming up for air, when he heard a soft tap, tip...tap. He parted his lips from hers. "Amelia..." he said in a tone that sounded more meaningful than he'd intended.

Meanwhile, Val had part-carried, part-dragged Xelloss into the den, kicked Zel and Subaru's things to the side of the room, and dropped Xelloss onto the pull-out bed. "Whaddaya need?"

"My…bag. Oh… And…some water…"

"Okay," Val stomped out of the room and into the next. Xelloss could hear him rifling through the pile of bags looking for his distinctive one with the Zildjian cymbal company logo inscribed on the side.

Next thing he knew, Val was back at his side. "Filia said you could have this. One of her fancy-ass bottled waters. She says it's pure. I told her you ain't, but she just said 'give it to 'im!' "

Xelloss smiled weakly. "Thanks." He threw an arm over his eyes and lay flaccidly across the sofa bed.

"You gonna be okay?"

Xelloss nodded. "After I take some pills. You can go…thanks."

Val shrugged, and then left Xelloss to his misery. It don't love company, that he knew.

Xelloss could barely make out the muffled sounds of Lina, Val, and Bobby over the others playing video games in the front room. Barely audible and far off. His head was pounding after all the activity. Rummaging through his bag, he found his migraine medication by its rattle. He drained the last of the bottled water, washing the pills down in a couple of gulps. Fifteen, twenty minutes, then peace would come to his addled brain. He only had to endure a few more minutes this way…

He patted down his sides and located his cell phone. Time enough for a call.

"Hello, Mr. Ul Copt, Xelloss here. No. No problems at all. In fact, the recordings are going well. I called to thank you for the AtMet tickets. Yes, she invited me to join them. Yes, I did, we all did. It was a very…interesting show. Lots of fat naked women… In the paintings! Well, there was a little commotion as we were leaving. Fans mobbed us and we had to make a sneaky getaway. Not on the evening news? Maybe it didn't make it. The press was there all right so something will be in the papers, I bet. Exciting, yes. Ah, I had one more thing. I was wondering who it was that gave you those tickets? In the mail, you say? Probably her art teacher? No. Filia didn't know. Ah…that's okay, I ah…just wanted to know who your connection was for such great tickets in case I wanted to go sometime. That's okay…Yeah, so anyway, thanks again and good night. Huh? Oh, okay, I'll tell her…sure…bye."

A set-up. It had been a set-up.

Absolutely certain that Grauscherra was involved, Xelloss could see how the syndicate was going to be able to connect the Slayers to their past activities. Filia's interview with the principal must have informed him about their recording date in Atlas City, and he must have had those tickets for the art show and once he'd stolen that photo of Xelloss and gotten a painter… It seemed like a lot of trouble to go through, but… Xelloss frowned. He had used a few connections to get that painting pulled, locate the painter, the lawyers…ah…probably too much. He had really blown it. The entire thing had been a clever ploy to make him reveal his syndicate training, and, he was afraid, he had over reacted, done too much, and blown his 'just a school boy' image.

He should tell the others, but not now. He fell back onto the bed thinking that he ought to go to his own room and climb up into his own loft bed…Zelgadiss and Subaru would expect this one soon… But he was so…tired, so…comfortable, warm, and drowsy…

"Amelia!"

Her eyes opened expectantly. A drop of rain slid down a wiry length of his bang and dropped, spat, onto her forehead, causing her to blink.

Tip, tip, tip...pitter, patter...

"It's raining?"

"Yes." Zelgadiss jumped up.

Amelia followed suit and scrambled to her feet. Together they shook off the blanket and snuggled under, using it like a rain shield, and then made a run for the car.

"Ha ha!" she laughed once they were nestled back inside their car. "We made it! Good thing we weren't parked any further away."

"Yes." Good thing we didn't get soaked, he thought to himself. Zel's imagination took over and for a second he envisioned Amelia's low cut blouse turning transparent in the rain...

"Yes!" he said energetically the second time.

Amelia wondered at that. Zelgadiss was usually more reserved. "So...what now?" she asked.

"We go home," Zel said determinedly.

"We don't have to..."

"Yes we do, Amelia. This has been nice, but...look how late it's getting. Tomorrow's going to be a bear of a day."

"You don't like being with me?"

"Oh, I do...but...I don't..." he sighed and started the car. "...trust me. Now, help me watch out for deer. We don't need an accident to top off this day."

"Okay," she agreed cheerily. "It sure has been a fun day, hasn't it?"

Fun? Oh, why argue? "Sure," he smiled and patted her on the knee. "It was planned just for your pleasure, _princess_."

She smiled. "Thank you, _Mr_. Zelgadiss."

He chuckled softly. This time he just knew that she wasn't going to let him _pretend_ that the evening hadn't happened. Of course, he had been known to be wrong about her before.

Zelgadiss and Amelia ran into the house laughing and ripping off soggy jackets and damp shoes at the door.

"I'm going to go change," he told her and left to the den.

There, he discovered Xelloss asleep, an open container of migraine pills, and an empty water bottle resting on the floor by his dangling hand. Zel picked up the pill bottle, screwed on the lid, tossed it into the gaping bag and zipped it shut. With a sigh, he set the water bottle on the table.

"You always do take my bed, you know." But Xelloss didn't hear him. He picked up his own bag of clothes and left the den.

A few minutes later, in the room full of gamers, he located Subaru to warn him, "You'll be sharing with Xelloss tonight. He's conked out already in the den."

Subaru's turn came up—he pressed 'A' and a dice block appeared over the little green head of the sprite representing him, and Zel's eyes flickered to the corner where his stats were displayed. Four stars, 150 coins. His eyes darted to the other corners. One star, 40 coins…2 stars, seven coins, no stars, 86 coins…

Subaru was winning, obviously.

"You corrupted him," Zel sighed.

"He's a fast learner," Lee congratulated him. "He doesn't miss a thing, and when he focuses…"

"It's scary how good he is!" Luke shivered.

"I have a bit of a headache, myself," Subaru said, quietly. "Must be from staring at the screen for so long. I think I'll go to bed, too," and with that, he went to the start menu, turned his character into a computer, and left.

"But you were doing so well!" Pearl gasped. "You were winning, and you worked so hard!"

The others were in similar states of shock.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Luke cried. "We're gonna get beaten by a computer!"

Zelgadiss watched Subaru, less mystified than the others, but still concerned. Why couldn't he let himself win? What was keeping him back, keeping him isolated?

Well, what sort of question was that?

Zel shivered.

"I can't wait to get home and show daddy our CD!" Amelia said to Lina at her side.

"Yeah, it's something to be proud of," Lina agreed. She drew a deep breath and leaned her back on the seat of the van. "Tell me we don't have school in the morning."

"We don't have school in the morning!" her other inmates chanted amid giggles and hoots.

"Buncha comedians..." she groused.

"Well, I had a .+.+.. _wonderful_ ..+.+. time," Amelia assured her.

"Gee, Zel," Filia shot back his way. "Who'da thought a drive around looking at city lights would have qualified under the 'wonderful time' category, but you're the man."

Huh? That's not what they did? He made eye contact with Amelia. 'Let it rest,' she signaled silently. 'Oh? All right,' he acquiesced wordlessly. He sighed and feigned boredom, although he was totally bewildered. He was shaking his head when he noticed Gourry's big hand on his shoulder which implied 'Been there, dude.'

"Thanks for the lift. I'll call you later," Xelloss said. He hopped out of the van and lugged his bag up the steps to Candy's residence.

"Who's that waiting outside with Candy?" Amelia asked Zelgadiss as he shut the door.

"John the doorman." Zel settled into his seat. "Just a guy that lives there with no life and a gossipy nature. Xelloss told me he gets a break on his rent in return for keeping an eye on the door at night. He's a psych. major at the university."

From the van window, there was enough light shining from the street lights for them to see Xelloss greet Candy with a hug and kiss, and John with a hug.

"Oooh, John's got it bad for Xelloss," Val snickered from the back.

"You think so? That must be awfully hard on him," Amelia sighed.

"Who? John or Xelloss?" Sylphiel giggled.

"John. It's so sad..." Amelia replied. "Candy's pretty, don't you think?"

Filia strained to look, and then noted, "Candy, if that's what she wants to be called these days, has improved, that's for sure. He can do better, though." She sat back and looked bored.

"She accepts him as he is," Zel said in her defense. He thought she was very pretty, and nice, and intelligent, and fun to talk to.

"But does she _know_ anything about him?" Filia snapped. "He comes with more baggage than what you see him carrying."

Zel shook his head. "Really, Filia, it's none of our business. They have only been seeing one another a few weeks, a bit too soon to begin introducing her to all the skeletons in his closet."

"But not too soon to be sleeping together?" Filia pressed.

"I know what you're implying, but she has a roommate who shares her room. I repeat...keep your nose out of it. It doesn't concern you, or me, or any of us. They're both adults with very little free downtime to share." Zel folded his arms over his chest and hunkered down in his seat.

"Filia, are you jealous or something? Well, that's how you sound," whispered Sylphiel who was seated next to her.

Val stared out the window in silent agreement.

Gourry wondered at Xelloss' behavior. He did not get that guy, at all. One minute Xelloss was competing with him in a battle for Lina, the next he's going out with Filia and has got a new girlfriend! Not that he was about to complain. Gourry was thrilled to have Xelloss' attention busy elsewhere. Having an open playing field was more his style. He had an idea of a place to take Lina, and decided he'd ask her tonight after unloading the van…when they had a free moment, which Zel would surely give him if he asked.

Ten minutes later, Val helped load Sylphiel, Filia, and Subaru's bags into his Suburban parked in front of his house. "Yeah, I'll drop the two of 'em off at the Shrine on our way out to the settlement. Anythin' ta get outta unloadin' the van."

Not that there was much for Gourry and Zel to unload, just a couple of guitars, cymbals, and all the girls' bags. Lina was staying over with Amelia for that night. Luna was still out at the settlement and would get a ride back with Val the next morning on his and Filia's way to school. She didn't want Lina to stay at their house alone, as per the agreement following the last summer's travesties. None of the Slayers should be alone or without their cell phones. Deal.

"Look up there," Gourry said while at the same time pointing out his window as the van climbed the hill to the mayor's mansion. "Lights or somethin'. Mebbe an accident."

Zel perked up. "EM vehicles. Yeah, I hear them. Pull over and stop here."

"What's going on?" Lina shouted.

"Zel's gonna run up ahead and check in case, ya know... there's trouble." Gourry blocked the sliding van door.

Lina kicked him aside. "If there's trouble, we oughta be there to back 'im up. Come on!"

Amelia scrambled out as well and tagged behind Gourry with Lina in the lead and Zelgadiss already sucked up by the darkness. It was nearly midnight, dark, and none of them were familiar with the twisting road, except Gourry, but he wasn't in the lead. Lina rounded the bend and ran down Zelgadiss who had been in quiet conversation with Mrs. Andrews, the mayor's cook.

"Damnit, Lina! Go back and keep quiet!" Zel grumbled.

Remarkably, Lina backed off without pounding him into submission.

"Oh, children! Turn back now and take Miss Amelia to the hospital before the press catches up with you!" a highly agitated Mrs. Andrews warned them.

"You heard her. Let's go. I'll explain in the van," Zelgadiss said sternly. Even Lina could read his body language, which screamed **_'Crisis! '_**

Zelgadiss marched them all back into the van and spoke to Gourry in a low voice. Gourry's brow furrowed, but he accepted the directions without a word and started the engine. Next, Zel sought out Amelia and sat by her side. "Phil… your father, has had a heart attack, she thinks. We're going directly to the hospital now."

He clutched the stricken girl's hand. "He's a strong, healthy man, Amelia. He'll get the best of care there. He'll pull through fine. Believe that."

"W-when you say that, Zelgadiss, I do. I-I do! I have faith...in Justice! He will be fine. Seyruun needs him!" Amelia's strength failed, though. She was just a girl whose father's life was on the line. Her voice broke and tears erupted, "I...I need him..."

Zelgadiss, to his credit, held her all the way to the hospital without flinching once.

"He's not there!" Lina repeated to the blank faces. "Not _anywhere_!"

Gourry nodded. "They woulda told Lina, ya know. She didn't let'em get off easy."

"I imagine not," Zel muttered. He had remained, voluntarily, behind with Amelia, allowing Lina free reign to exercise her well known charm on the reticent staff to extract the information they needed. Gourry tagged along to make sure Lina didn't hurt anyone. "Where do think he might have been taken?"

"Or gone," Lina drawled out.

"Lina!" Gourry gasped, dismayed by what he considered to be over the top insensitivity from Lina. It was a bit too early to discuss the man's demise, from his point of view.

"Not 'dead' gone, yogurt brains!" Lina spat. "Gone some _place_."

"Or _taken_ someplace?" Zel said thoughtfully.

"Ya think he had a heart attack and someone kidnapped him?" Gourry asked.

Amelia climbed out of the van, "What's the matter?" She looked haggard, tired and worried.

Zel turned away, cell phone glued to his ear. "Father. We're back, but... fine... I'll listen. Right. Hold on…"

Zel broke away from the phone and turned to Amelia, "Amelia, just a second. I have news, but you'll have to stop talking _at_ me."

"Father, I'm back. Yes? Yes...At the hospital. We'll be there in ten minutes. All right, eleven, _if_ we stop for lights." He closed up the phone and met Amelia's eyes. "We are to go to Rezo's. He wasn't...he wouldn't speak freely thinking his lines may be tapped, but he had information."

"Then lets go," Lina said. "Amelia, we'll find your father. That'sa promise, 'kay?"

"Yes, Miss Lina." Amelia bravely tried to sound hopeful, although her eyes were filled with concern.

The van screeched to a halt in front of the professor's house. All four kids clamored out of the van and up the steps to Zel's childhood home. Beast's howl greeted them through the closed door. He sniffled and snuffled his nose through the gap as Mrs. Shearer cracked open the door, then pushed it wide as he bounded past her to greet his boy with a slathering kiss.

"Hi, Beast," Zel said with a tender pat and push. "Let us get in, will you?"

"Amelia? Amelia! Is that you?" called a familiar voice.

"Daddy? Daddy!" she squealed in delight, running into the big man's arms and burying her face in his broad chest. "Zelgadiss said you'd be all right. We just knew you were!"

Lina looked the man over appraisingly. "You are, aren't ya?"

"He doesn't look like he's had a heart attack, and I should know. I visited my grandmother in the hospital last year...ya know, before she moved into my room and we built the addition and all? And she looked...um...like a fish...ya know, all wall-eyed and clammy...uh...guess that's more like a clam, ha ha, but I don't think she looked like a clam at all, 'cause clams got that hard shell and...oof!"

Lina withdrew her fist from Gourry's unprotected abdomen. "What's the story?" she demanded of Phil.

Phil returned the cool appraisal, and then answered. "I want them, my staff…the press…everyone to think I'm out of the picture, temporarily. Gives me time to plan my next move and it might draw out the evil culprit if he thinks the road to my position is an easy ride. You were correct, Zelgadiss. There's someone out to take over my job."

Zel nodded. "I see. What makes _you_ think so?"

"Ah, well I have to credit that fine Mrs. Andrews with the clever methods this time around. She had been busy preparing my dinner, when something about the sliced bread looked wrong, she said. Moldy even. So she tossed them out in the trash, or was about to when she caught a whiff." He paused to cough.

"A _whiff_... that a kinda fish?" Gourry asked, puzzling a moment.

If he was going to say something further on the topic of fish, 'whiffs', or clams again, he didn't, or at least he changed his mind after a withering glance from Lina ended his stake in the conversation. Lina sure was touchy tonight, he thought.

"It smelled funny, chemically. At any rate, the wise woman decided to test it by setting the tainted bread on the floor by a spot where a family of mice appears. She told me now that she and that Xelloss character had a run about with the mice there in the past. Well, back to the story... she went back to her cooking and nearly forgot about the bread, when something caught her eye. And there...on the floor...beside the bread..."

"Dead mouse, huh?" Lina surmised.

"Yes, a dead mouse. Strychnine poisoning we figure..."

Zelgadiss was about to interrupt to tell him that it sounded more like another kind of poison, but asked another question instead. "So...what brought you here, to my father's house?"

"I came here because I knew you, Zelgadiss, would come here to get your dog eventually. I felt that cell phone conversations might get intercepted somehow. I don't know how you got past the hospital staff, though. I thought I had them in my pocket, so to speak. They are to turn away the press, everyone with the story that I am in critical condition and can't be seen or interviewed."

"Ah, well, ya don't know Lina very well, Sir. She don't let anybody pull a fast one on her!" Gourry smiled down at the daring redhead.

"That's right!" She slapped him on the back appreciatively. "Though I have to admit, they were good."

Rezo said, "I was lucky your brother, Christopher, called and warned me in time to get back from the university. Mrs. Shearer normally has Sunday evenings out at some family dinner, so lately I've been meeting associates to eat and go out to various campus musical shows." He tapped his cell phone. "Best gift my son ever gave me."

"I didn't give that to you," Zel corrected him.

"That's correct, you didn't, that was Xelloss, my thoughtful son...stepson... doesn't matter."

"So how did you get here?" Lina asked stepping between the father and son.

"Vurumagen drove me home," Rezo answered.

"Ah...I meant you, Phil," Lina clarified.

"Interesting... two men came to the door earlier. Friends of yours, Zelgadiss. A Mr. Zolf and Rodimus. They had a newly signed contract with your band to return, but somehow whoever sent the materials to them neglected to give them the lawyer's name or address. So, they drove into Seyruun and, remembering that my daughter lived in the Mayor's mansion, showed up there."

"Sorry," both Zelgadiss and Amelia said simultaneously.

"No problem, kids. Like I said, or meant to, was that while I was speaking to them, my dear cook was dealing with the dead mouse. It was the smart one...ah...Zolf who came up with the hospital idea. Seems he's had experience sneaking rock stars out of concerts in the past..."

"Sounds like we gonna need his services more than we thought," Lina said to Zel, who nodded agreement.

"Oh? Had some trouble?" Rezo asked.

"Uh...yeah, but that's nothin' we can't handle. What we need is a plan..." Lina said adroitly changing the focus back to the crisis at hand, "...a computer-- right Zel?--and access to your personal records, Phil."

"That means going back to the mansion." Phil fingered his moustache, deep in thought.

With that, Rezo, Phil, and the kids put their heads and talents together. Mrs. Shearer provided refreshments...

* * *

From the Authors:

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 24.


	25. The Mayor's In Trouble!

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 25 **

**The Mayor's In Trouble!**

_That guy looks more like me than I do!" — Zelgadiss_

* * *

Amelia marched up the drive to the front gates of her home. Her task was to take on the press, answer questions, and buy her friends time to gather information inside unrecognized and unhindered. Besides, she had learned how to work journalists for information.

"Before I say anything about my father's current status, I'd like to know what other information has been issued from this office. I wouldn't want to waste your valuable time repeating things," Amelia began.

"No one had come forward to express any opinion, which is why we would like you to tell us whatever you can," one journalist said.

"All I can tell you is that...the mayor, my daddy, was rushed to Seyruun General Hospital shortly after ingesting a poisonous substance which brought on a heart attack. His condition is critical, doctors say, but I'm certain he'll pull through!"

"Such a brave young lady..." murmured through the crowd.

Meanwhile, Lina, Gourry, and Zel followed Phil through the garden to a less-known side entrance. Once inside, they secreted Phil into his private office and locked themselves in.

"We need to find out who's behind all this and notify the police," Zel said.

"The computer is all yours," Phil said, graciously giving Zel access to all his records.

Zel nodded and took the giant-sized office chair behind the monitor screen. "All right. First let's find out who's been put in charge of Seyruun while you are out of service. That might give us a clue as to who wanted you out of the running. Got it!"

"Let's see!" Lina said, spinning Zel's chair to the side. "Christopher! Your brother? He's next in line? He's not an elected official, is he?"

"Actually, the line of command is very precise. I had just placed him in the position to succeed me a few days ago, just as a precaution against the kind of action that was taken." Phil explained.

"That also makes him the most likely one to benefit from your demise," Lina began.

"So he musta done it," Gourry concluded. "He seemed kinda too nice a guy to do somethin' like that ta me...when I met him."

"Yeah, well the nicer they are, the harder they fall," Lina chanted.

Further conversation was put on hold when Amelia rapped at the door. "It's me! The coast is clear, at least the press is gone for tonight. Have you learned anything yet? What's wrong?"

But no one was looking at her. All eyes were focused past her to the young man approaching the open door.

"Hello. Oh, Uncle Phil, where did you come from? I thought...well, Amelia said...ah...I'm glad to see you in good health!"

"Alfred," the older man said, his eyes welling up with emotion. "These are trying times..."

Alfred nodded. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "I know. And... I have to tell you something...awful." He paused uncomfortably.

"Go on, son, you have nothing to fear from me. If you have any information which might be of use to us, which we might use to uncover the master of evil behind this black-hearted plan of injustice, then...you must tell me now."

"Okay. It's just so...hard."

With a little more prodding, Alfred told them that he believed his father was behind the takeover. Christopher was the acting mayor and he had tried to kill his own brother, Philonel!

Phil was in despair. "I have a very difficult time accepting all this. My brother, of all men... He has always been a man of peace and stability."

"Yeah, well he's our best candidate for the moment," Lina said.

Amelia gave her a withering look, "_Candidate_? Couldn't you have found a less...sensitive word, like '_prospect_'?"

"Oh," Lina gulped. "Yeah..."

Amelia flung herself at Alfred, and, holding him snugly, cried out, "Oh, Alfred. It's not your fault. We'll do everything we can to bring him to justice and allow you to hold your head up high again!"

Zel looked on. Amelia had always been a bit over demonstrative, from his point of view, and always ready to deliver a warm hug, even if it wasn't particularly well received, but this seemed different. She seemed to really like him. Lina apparently did too. Alfred seemed to be a real _likeable_ guy.

Zel hated him instantly. _Lina was right,_ he noted to himself, _That guy looks more like me than I do; that is, the me who'd never been in that accident._

* * *

Xelloss was in a good place. He was happy, contented, and dead tired. When at ease, his brain stopped exploding randomly, allowing him to daydream peacefully. He closed his eyes and looked back on his past experiences with girls and smiled. Each was so different. Starting with Martina...well, she was awkward and loud, but a brief experience, thankfully. Just leave it at that.

Kiki was cute and adventurous. She liked to take walks with him. She was young and unsophisticated, but also uncomplicated and undemanding. Nice and sweet, but with a tough independent streak that he admired. Oh...and she was French and returning to Seyruun soon, _de bonne famille_!

Eris. Well, if you ignored the fact that she selfishly used him to get to his best friend's father (and his stepfather), then she wasn't so bad for a two week fling. She was a change; older, attractive in a brash way, smart, and okay company when she wasn't being too bossy.

The flip side of Eris was Sylphiel; less emphasis on the intellectual and more on the emotional. Her needs were too simple and basic to fulfill; that is, for Xelloss to be satisfied long. When he thought that having a family was first and foremost in his future, she seemed to slip into the dream effortlessly, but he had grown and moved on, leaving her to find another, better man molded to her traditional play-house role. That, and he was hurt by her casual dismissal of his attentions immediately on finding a man to act out the fiancée role, without letting him know ahead of time. It had opened his eyes to dangerous flirtation and insincerity. Although she had returned to the comfortable 'friend' status after awhile, the two rarely spoke together.

Luna. How he admired that lady. Tough as nails, but with a heart of gold. Loyal to her friends and deadly to her enemies. He always hoped to be on her good side. He didn't understand why she found him so attractive, but he was glad she found something, some hidden quality in him, to admire; it humbled him.

Amelia would never be a love interest, but instead a girl that shaped his knowledge about them. Probably the most charitable person on the planet. She accepted Zel, Val, and him, treating them with respect from the moment she met them, despite their flaws. She was a terrific listener, mediator, and most importantly for him, a friend. Xelloss smiled as he imagined happily living in the guest room of her house, after she married Zelgadiss. If she wasn't so obviously fond of his best friend, he'd...still think of her as his favorite little sister. The fact that she was in any way related to Nahga astonished him.

Filia was an enigma. At times he felt she hated him to the deepest depths of her soul. She would have no respect for his feelings or opinions. Then, there were those, albeit rare, other times when he thought she actually admired him, both physically and intellectually. She certainly had had her hands all over him without flinching (in order to massage ointment onto his sores following his syndicate training sessions) and sought out his company on several occasions. Her snooty attitudes and sharp tongue really irritated him, as did her obsession with appearance. That he could get under her skin and annoy the heck out of her rewarded him with an odd little pleasurable tingle. He did admire the way she meshed the clan world with that of a Seyruun High cheerleader and their band. In fact, the Filia of the Cephied clan was a young woman that attracted him a great deal. Too bad he rarely had contact with _that_ version of his friend.

Lina, ah...Lina Lina Lina. Lina Inverse. Her name rolled off his tongue so easy. She thrilled him to his core over and over every time he saw her, heard her voice, or pictured her in his mind. She fit perfectly in his arms and danced his breath away. And the dreams... He wondered if she had ever dreamed of him? Maybe his dream-Lina and her dream-Xelloss could be happy together? He couldn't say why he was willing to obey her every command, but he knew he would drop anything to help her, and he was afraid that he might jump off a cliff if she told him to do it. She was beautiful and explosive and sharp and the most exciting person he had ever known. Life with Lina would never be dull. If only she felt the same way about him.

Candy/Laila. He nearly called her 'Lina' once, and performed a clumsy save of face by turning it into 'Laila', her real name. She didn't mind, she said. Her previous boyfriend, Kerel, had called her Laila also, but he had known her since middle school prior to her taking the 'sweet' nickname. Candy was also a 'cuddler'. More than anything, she loved to be held, and he was happy to comply. She liked to spend time with him, just him. When they were together she made him feel important, as if he was the center of her universe. When they were out, it was the same way. Kind, caring, adoring, pretty, and smart, Candy made an ideal girlfriend; that is, if they had more time to spend together.

Like right now… they were studying together. She was nestled in his arms, leaning against his chest. He was propped up with pillows and resting against the backboard of her bed, legs outstretched and intertwined with hers. They shared a math book which was currently resting on her stomach.

"This is nice, isn't it?"

"Hmmm, the best," he agreed. He smoothed her chestnut brown hair with one hand. A light caress. He regretted having missed meeting her parents and learning more about her. "So pretty..."

"My hair! HA!" She laughed and slapped playfully at his hand. "More like ordinary, what with the rainbow of exotics in your band."

"That's true, but that doesn't make it any less nice." He brought the strand up to his lips and kissed it gently. Life just didn't get any better than this, he convinced himself. "May I brush it?"

That made her smile. "Okay. Brush is ... on the pillow? How did it get there? So, do you get problem 12?"

"Yeeeesss, would you like me to explain it?" he asked. He drew the brush slowly through her lengthy hair, starting with the ends and working up until he could make long, smooth strokes from her scalp to the tips with no knots.

"Hmmm, sure, just tell me the solution so I can hear the sound of your voice," she sighed. "That feels so nice and relaxing..."

His chuckles jiggled the book.

"Stay over..." she craned her neck around to look at him. "Please? Say you will. My roommate won't be back until tomorrow. You have your gear. And it's really late now, after midnight. Please?"

"Okay. Let me give Zelgadiss a call and let him know." It didn't take much to convince him to stay. "Funny... there's no answer...eh, hello? Is that you, Ze...? Yes...ah..."

"Something wrong with your phone?"

"No." Xelloss' voice went cold, the blood left his face. "Listen, Candy, I've got to go..."

Her moans cut off his sentence.

"I'll come right back, or call and let you know..."

"But you just got here! Didn't you just leave those guys? You've been with them the last five days!" She didn't try to hide her disappointment.

"It's an emergency, I think. And no, I can't tell you about it yet...but I will...later! Please...don't cry. I know these last couple hours don't seem like much, but I've loved every minute because I've shared them with you. Please trust me. This is really serious or I wouldn't just take off on you, 'kay?"

"You...just...got...here..." she sniffled.

"I'm sorry...really sorry. You know I want to stay with you...yes you do...but..."

"But..."

"I need a car. Right now. Who has one that might let me borrow...?"

"John has a car, and I bet he'll loan it to you too. I'll go down with you," she offered, resigned to lose Xelloss again to the Slayers.

As they watched Xelloss drive away, John turned to Candy and drew her close in a friendly hug of reciprocal disappointment. "Oh, he'll come back to you, you know that. You've got what he's looking for in a mate. Me? Well…at least I have _something_ he wants…"

"What's that?" she asked with a sniffle.

"A car!"

Zelgadiss wondered why none of the others noticed, or if they did, why they hadn't said anything. Well, Lina had mentioned in passing that Alfred looked like him at the lunch table, but not like…_identical_! And how about Gourry or Amelia?

Gourry did do a double-take. He looked from the handsome, young Alfred to the younger, scarred Zelgadiss. He noticed how similar the two guys were, and that, had Zelgadiss not suffered that accident, the two might be brothers, nearly twins. What he also observed, was Amelia's reaction. None; that is, she seemed oblivious to the degree of likeness in the two men. She did, however, react to Alfred's company. It was clear she really liked her cousin. A lot. Gourry looked down at Lina, who was speaking nicely and behaving rather 'girlish', for Lina. Lina, it seemed, liked Alfred too. Gourry was afraid to meet Zel's eye, though. He wasn't sure how attuned to the others' feelings Zel was, but the likeness was hard to miss...at least Gourry thought so.

_Now Gourry sees it_, Zelgadiss thought, catching a flicker of guilt in his friend's eyes. _Now that we are standing together, he sees it_. Oh, yeah...and now _he_ understood Amelia's attraction to him. He wasn't Amelia's '_cause'_, he was Alfred's _stand in_, or something puerile like that. Zel looked away. So his instincts had been right from the first; she was too young and he was a freak. He made a decision at that moment. He would call the doctor tomorrow, after classes and make that appointment he'd been putting off all summer. He would let the doctor run some more tests on his scar tissue and see what could be done. Maybe Xelloss would go with him...

He was looking out the door, past Alfred, and so, he was the only one to see and prepare for the onslaught. Activating his incredible agility with his remarkably quick reflexes, Zel pushed Phil out of sight and toward the rear exit to the office conference room. "The door! Shut the door!" Zel gasped. "Gourry, get him outta here!"

Gourry didn't think twice. Phil was in danger, again. He leapt across the room, ripped open exit the door and half shoved, half carried the heavy man to safety.

"You too!" Zel said harshly. He strong-armed Amelia and thrust her in after Gourry and her father.

Lina and Alfred stood in the doorway ready to take on the flock of reporters and lawyers squeezing past the mansion's staff. "Stay with them, Zel. If me and Alfred can't stop these bozos, Gourry'll need all the help he can get!"

Zel gave her a sharp nod and slipped to the back of the room and past the exit, closing the door behind him. "Lina's good at fast-talking. She should be able to fend them off. We certainly don't want to face them after lying about the mayor," Zel explained to the others.

Lina looked askance at young Alfred. Damn, he was cute! And nervous. "Hey, don't worry. I'm pretty good at this kinda thing," she said with a confident grin...

"Okay, I really appreciate you helping me like this. I feel so...responsible, you know, for my father's mess, but I'm no fast talker." Alfred gave her a warm smile that made her knees go weak.

Lina turned to the oncoming group, hands on her hips, face determined. "State yer business, then get your butts outta here! I'm tired and gotta get up for school in the morning." She maneuvered around so as to block their way past the computer monitor where Zel had been searching for leads.

"I have a source with proof of misconduct in the mayor's office." A tall woman with a sinewy figure and wearing a deep pink suit stepped to the forefront. Lina noted with disgust that she had done a poor tint job to her hair, black roots showing at the base of the pink and red streaks.

"Well yer source is wrong. Go home like a decent person and make an appointment in the morning, Ms… whatcher name?" Lina asked.

"Mazenda," the woman answered. Without budging from her spot, she jabbed an accusing finger at Alfred. "And that, young man, let me see... Alfred ul Brozzo Seyruun, you are specifically mentioned in relation of misuse of funds." She closed in on him in a threatening manner. "I understand you had some very substantial outstanding college loans after graduation, which have mysteriously been paid in full two weeks following your job here with the mayor...who is...your uncle, is that correct?"

"Uhhh..." Alfred began.

"Yeah, he's Phil's nephew, but as for the rest...sounds like a loada crap someone's come up with to frame a good man...make that two good men!" Lina answered. She noticed the reporters were trying to work their way around the desk. "Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going!"

Lina, busy with the press, clustered around her and blocking her view of rest of the room, didn't see Mazenda sneak past until she had made it all the way to the rear exit door. "Hey! You get back out here! That's a private office, well so's this, but you can't go in there!"

Alfred made a desperate move to stop the woman, but she was too quick for him. It was as if she had a sixth sense or x-ray vision. She reached the door in two strides, flung it open and barged right in.

Lina had her hands full, though, with the press of press and keeping them away from the mayor's desk, littered with the documents she and Zel had been pouring over, the mayor's computer monitor open to a database of his expenditures.

At the sound of the door opening, Zel spun around and drove his hard head into the midsection of whoever was entering. In spite of the size differential – Mazenda was at least six feet tall-- the tall woman bent double and fell to her knees. "Ugh!"

Both Phil and Amelia were about to criticize him for his rude greeting, when the woman jumped from the ground cursing and executing a perfectly controlled box-kick. Gourry thought that she should pick on someone her own size, and so, made a grab for her arms, but she was fast and well trained.

"Who _is _this woman! What are you _doing_ attacking my friends? This is _my_ house and I didn't invite _you_!" Amelia shouted.

Not that it did any good. Mazenda was hitting hard. Zel's karate training was no match and even together with Gourry's brawn, without their swords they were about to be clobbered. Amelia's eyes raced around the room searching for a weapon of some sort. Her glance stopped on an old justice-of-the-peace gavel of her father's. She made a leap for it while the woman's back was turned.

"Got it!" she cried jubilantly. "Now it's time for you to meet the Hammer of Justice!"

Lying on his back in a pile of fallen books, Zel moaned and felt his side for cracked ribs. Something was vibrating…his cell phone! With Mazenda focusing momentarily on Amelia, Zel pulled out his phone; it was Xelloss. "Mayor's… attack…I…"

Mazenda, recovering quickly from the hammer attack, launched one of her own aimed at Zel's cell phone.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Lina had her hands busy stuffing important documents in drawers, shutting down the computer, and protecting Alfred from the reporters' offensive questions. Her efforts were distracted when she heard the unmistakable groans of Zelgadiss being pounded into a book case. "That's not yer every-day lawyer in there," she growled. She re-doubled her efforts and began pushing and shoving the press out the door without regard to who and how she achieved that goal. She could tell her other friends needed her, but she wasn't about to leave the mayor's office unguarded in a room full of nosy reporters. "Come on, Alfred! Help me get these idiots outta here!"

"Argh!"

That, Lina knew, was the sound of Gourry getting his stomach kicked, a sound she was personally familiar with. But, it was one thing when she did it and entirely another when it was some evil witch! With a phenomenal show of strength and wrath, Lina lashed out at the lingering men, punting one out the door and into the front hall, and booting the other two in quick succession to follow up on his lead.

"That's it!" she gasped. Slamming the door with a final jab of her foot, caused it to jam and lock almost magically. "Now to the next fight!"

"B-but it's locked! How do we get in to help them?" cried Alfred.

"You don't," intoned a voice venomously. "You have me to keep you company. Now, if you would show me the list of the Mayor's campaign contributors, we can get started."

Lina spun around to see a man Mazenda's equal in height, wearing a lurid green three piece suit and short blue-green hair worn like a softie ice cream cone. "Gods, another freak," she muttered. "Who do you think you are, breaking past a locked door?"

Now that the door was once again wide open, Lina could see the mayor's night staff in the distance, frightened and watchful. Christopher rounded the corner, clearly just roused from his bed. "What's going on here! Who are all these people! Alfred!"

The tall man looked askance at Christopher briefly, and then returned his glower to Lina. "Not that it has any bearing on the task at hand, but you can call me…Kanzel. Now, to the matter of importance…"

Xelloss swore again, and then swore he'd stop swearing if he ever found the right street. There it was! He came to a screeching halt in front of his home, and leap out of the car, leaving the engine running. He nearly broke down his front door in his rush to unlock and push his way in, and then raced through the living room to his bedroom. In a single heave, he thrust away his hanging clothes to reveal the back of his closet. His staff stood ready. It was not just a priest's staff but one displaying a ruby orb, exhibiting for anyone who recognized its significance that its holder was powerful--one of the highest order of the syndicate. Xelloss grabbed it and an innocuous-looking brown leather shoulder bag hanging off a hook beside the staff, ran back through the house, slamming the door on his way out, and then jerked open the borrowed car's door and shoved transition into gear. With a roar he was tearing up the road to the mayor's mansion. He hoped he'd be there in time.

The only matter of importance to Lina right now was to get past the back exit to her friends. "Listen, I got no time for you and your demands right now so wouldya take a hint and get the hell outta my face and outta here!"

As an answer, Kanzel leveled an attack on her personally. "I have enough dirt on you, little girl, to indict you and all your family on charges of murder, treachery, and desecration of holy lands. So, unless you want to add more to that list, step away from that desk."

"What! My family! Why you conniving old goat. I'll show _you_ some desecration on the personal level!" Lina shouted as she launched herself bodily at the man's throat.

"Miss Lina!" Alfred gasped.

"We must help her!" Christopher yelled. "We can't let her do this alone!"

Lina had Kanzel in a stranglehold he had not been prepared for. A couple of sharp kicks to the diaphragm and he was gasping for air, but she tightened her grip on his neck. His face darkened, his knees buckled.

"You're strangling him!" Alfred cried out aghast at her strength.

Kanzel collapsed face down onto the hardwood floor. Without pausing to enjoy a self-congratulatory moment of triumph, Lina struggled to her feet and pounded on the door. One, two, three… the lock disengaged as the door splintered and gave way. Lina burst into the conference room to join Gourry, Amelia, Phil, Zelgadiss, and Mazenda.

Proud of his daughter's bravery and strength, Phil joined the brawl with his own form of justice. "Smashing Jump Attack!" the mayor bellowed, and flying feet first at the Mazenda woman, knocked her halfway across the long table which stretched from one end of the room to the other.

"Lina!" Gourry shouted in warning. He was showing signs of wearing down as he limped toward her. His hair was knotted and flying, bruises along one cheekbone discolored his handsome face.

She was too intent on assimilating those details to stop what happened next.

Kanzel moved quickly once he got his breath back. He couldn't believe that he'd let that girl get past his guard like that! As he made for the door, he avoided her, instead jumping onto the table and back down to capture Mayor Phil.

All Lina noticed was a blue-green blur, and then a nasty voice threatening them again.

The action froze. "All right, children, listen closely to what I have to tell you or I'll kill the mayor instantly." He looked around the room, as if counting the players. The moment his eyes landed on Lina, they stopped. "It's all up to you, sweetheart. Either join us, or this man dies."

"Us? By us you must mean…the syndicate? Is that what yer getting' at, buster?" Her upper lip turned up into a snarl. Phil wasn't the target at all! It was her all along that they were going for! "Well, I'll haveta think about that offer…" she was about to quip something more, but Kanzel interrupted her.

"You do that. I'll just wait out side."

"Don't do it! Justice shall prevail!" Phil shouted. Kanzel throttled him and twisted his arm behind his back. It must have been painful. Phil grunted and broke out in a sweat, but courageously he also bared his teeth.

"Oh, Daddy!" Amelia wailed. "We'll find a way to save you and keep Lina on the path to righteousness!"

"Yeah, you old buzzard! Forget it! Lina Inverse can't be had by nobody, 'specially syndicate slime. Got that!" Lina shouted as Kanzel and Phil receded.

Kanzel backed out of the door to the office again, Phil tight in his clutches, passing Christopher hovering just outside the entry. "I leave you in good hands," Kanzel said slyly to Lina.

Good hands? Zel and Lina's eye met. Had he meant Christopher was now going to show his cards?

Mazenda shook her head to clear the bright lights and cobwebs from her impact with the table top and rose slowly to her feet. Before she could begin spouting her lines, however, Phil's brother, Christopher, pushed forward.

"Here it comes," Zel muttered. Lina nodded and frowned up at the tall, slender dark-haired man.

"I'll quit if it will help. I didn't come here to hurt my brother or his family in any way." Christopher said. "Just leave now…leave these people in peace. And don't hurt the children…"

Huh? They wondered if this meant that he was not behind the entire fiasco after all, as Alfred had told them?

Xelloss broke his vow to himself and cursed his bad luck. The car he had borrowed from John had run out of gas at the bottom of the hill. It would be a long, tiring climb on foot to the mayor's now! Xelloss tossed the bag over his shoulder and gripped his staff like a walking stick, then leaving the car where it had died-- in the middle of the road-- he broke into a smooth lope.

"Christopher's on _our_ side," Gourry said aloud what the others were just coming to realize. "So, who let these other guys in here?"

Alfred entered the room with a sigh. "I did," he confessed, and then with a satisfied smirk he continued, "I staged this whole attack. And, Miss Lina Inverse, Kanzel and Mazenda will kill Phil as per my orders."

"You're part of the s-s-syndicate!" Amelia sputtered in disbelief.

"Me? No, I just use them for my own purposes. I was done with school, being told what to do and when…I saw what my uncle here had and decided that I wanted to become the new mayor. The power I'd have at my disposal! So, I shopped around and found a couple of ex-Gaav syndicate guys to help with my takeover."

"Oh, Alfred!" Amelia cried. "How could you do such a low-down, dirty, detestable, unjust thing? After all Daddy has done for you!"

He was about to answer his sweet cousin, when Kanzel returned with a comatose mayor Phil in tow.

"What are you doing back here?" Alfred snapped.

"Waiting for Miss Lina's final decision," Kanzel directed towards Lina and avoiding Alfred's hostile glare.

Alfred was furious. "I ordered you to kill him! That's what you are paid to do—take orders from me!"

"Alas, we have our own plans, now that we have identified just who she is. I don't think we will kill the poor mayor here just yet," Mazenda said for the first time since Phil's attack on her.

"You can't do that!" Alfred screamed. "You do as I say! I have a contract! You syndicate people are bound by your contracts, I know that!"

Mazenda moved forward and in a single motion, snapped his neck with a lightening fast punch. His eyes rolled back into his head and he fell heavily to the carpeted conference room floor.

"Alfred!" Amelia cried out in horror.

Mazenda folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. As the last spark of life left Alfred's young body, she said emotionlessly, "_I_ had no contract with you, _Kanzel _did. Ha, ha…ha…" Even her laugh held no humor.

Amelia fell to the floor by Alfred's side and lifted his head, cradling it loosely in her arms, "Oh, Alfred…how could you? But even so," she paused, then looking up and pointing a finger up at the evil woman accursedly she barked, "You had no right or reason to kill him. There are courts and laws. He should have gone to trial!"

Mazenda smirked, "Oh, I know…I am a lawyer, after all. Even a half-wit like him could have damaged my reputation in a court room, however. Now, my business is with you, Lina Inverse."

Lina steeled her nerves for an attack.

"A Miss Sherra has told… people… about a musical production of yours. She says Lina knows more than her superiors think and will use that musical to get at the syndicate."

Zel blinked and swallowed. How did Sherra deduce all that? He risked a quick glance Lina's way, but she was intent on the woman in front of her.

"Nonsense…" Lina muttered.

Kanzel cleared his throat, "We want Lina to join us and stop working on that musical at once. See, we want the power of Gaav's open position back in our hands, where it belongs. In fact, too large of a power base is being stockpiled and wasted on you children here in Seyruun. We want you, Lina, and your ability to draw Misters Val Gaav, Zelgadiss Greywords, and particularly Xelloss Metallium back into the syndicate fold as well."

Not far off, Xelloss stepped past the front door to the mayor's mansion. All was quiet. The office staff was gone, as far as he could tell. Then he heard a familiar voice in the distance, separated by halls and doors, but his heart skipped a beat.

Lina snarled in retaliation, "That's been tried before! It didn't work then either! You think I wanna destroy the lives of my friends…and bring Amelia and Phil under the syndicate's big fat thumb? The answer is NO! Not last time, not this time, NOT EVER!"

Xelloss sprinted in the direction of that melodious voice (which, if it were a flame, would be flaring like a beacon in the gloom, making this simile actually work) calling to him…

Kanzel yanked on the heavy, slumped—but breathing—body of the mayor, "He's still alive. His life is in your hands."

"Perhaps, but it certainly is not in yours!" Xelloss chirped in his singsong voice.

"Xelloss!" Both Mazenda and Kanzel shouted, clearly troubled by his sudden manifestation along with his staff, the symbol of power far beyond their scope. He was untouchable. Xelloss' appearance shocked both Mazenda and Kanzel into a moment's indecision, just long enough for him to grab Mayor Phil and exit back out the door he had just entered and disappear immediately.

Amelia shouted, "Justice will triumph in the end!"

By silent agreement, Lina and Gourry moved in tandem, Lina to the right and Gourry to the left of the tall syndicate woman. Before their movement registered in her mind, they had her down on the floor, Gourry weighting her down and Lina with a death-grip on her wrists. Christopher, seeing his chance to get involved, whipped off the tie closing his bathrobe and tied the evil woman's hands together.

Zelgadiss had a similar idea, but a different target and poorer communication. He dove for Kanzel's feet, while Amelia pushed over the bookcase, which had already emptied most of its contents onto Zel earlier, and trapped the syndicate man's left leg.

Kanzel gasped. Lina shouted at him, "Not even to save Phil's life!"

With his free leg, Kanzel lashed out, knocking Lina to the carpet. She hit hard enough to knock the air out of her, and lay still.

"Lina!" Zel croaked. Most of the bookcase had trapped him as well.

_So those two had a connection he might use?_ Kanzel reacted promptly. He wrapped his fingers about Zel's neck, threatening to snap it off. "Even to save his?"

Amelia's eyes darkened. Lina wasn't moving. Someone had to take a stand. "No. Her life is her own, so's mine, and Gourry's and…and all of us. No body owns us; nobody will. Even…to s-save his life."

Zel's eyes closed. "That took courage…" he thought. He felt the fingers around his neck slacken, then leave.

Kanzel extricated his leg, and although it was hurt, it was strong enough for him to put weight on and stand. "Then, I'll kill you all…starting with finishing you off, Miss Lina Inverse…"

But Lina had been 'playin' possum'. She was fine. Like lightening, she shot off the ground and landed full force into the man's chest, mashing him into the wall. Gourry crushed the man's scull with the largest book he could get his hands on, _The Laws and Justice System of Seyruun, Volume 1_.

Lina had taken a big risk, tricking them all, but it had paid off.

"Alfred was consumed by his own ambition," Amelia said sadly as she helped Zelgadiss to his feet.

"Hmmm," Zel nodded in agreement. "Wonder what took Xelloss so long?"

"I wonder where he took Daddy!" Amelia said. "Oh, Miss Lina, that was very risky, but so brave of you to do!"

Gourry was mad, though. "I thought you were hurt bad, Lina. Consider my feelings at least next time!"

"Ah, sorry," Lina replied shyly to Gourry. The concern, hurt, and love glowing warmly from his eyes cut deeply to her gut, flooding her with guilt. "It just came to me to try it, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know," Gourry smiled, "Ah, Lina? Oh…I was gonna ask ya somethin' but I forgot."

"Later, then," she grinned. "We got some cleaning up ta do yet!"

* * *

Phil, was slowly shaking off a drug-induced haze following an antidote injected intravenously by Xelloss. Xelloss was quietly explaining where they were and what he was doing in a calm, deliberated manner. He put away the needle and bottle of medication, buckling shut his shoulder bag. When the mayor was sufficiently revived, he began to digest Xelloss' words, make sense of them and nod his head in understanding.

"So, we have to stay out here, okay?" Xelloss was repeating to make sure the man comprehended his situation. "To keep you safe. Amelia and Lina will be safe. Yes, I think I can guarantee that much, but no one else." Xelloss smiled faintly. He wished he had some way to help the others. Maybe if he left Phil unguarded and snuck inside, but he knew that careful monitoring of the mayor was absolutely necessary until he was completely recovered.

His thoughts were interrupted by the purr of a finely-tuned car engine turning over and the whine of a powerful turbo-charger kicking in. Someone was leaving, and in a hurry. Xelloss forced his sore legs to carry him from the hot tub enclosure where he and Phil had been hiding, to the driveway. There, off to the side, was a black sports car pealing backwards down and out the curvaceous drive. He hadn't the energy left to run after it in pursuit. So he stood and watched it fade into the darkness, wondering who might be driving.

The sun was still hours from rising, although Monday morning had already arrived by the time the horror of the past few hours came to rest on the minds of the young people. Christopher sat propped in an easy chair head in hand. His son lay on the floor dead in the room next door, along with a nearly-dead man partially responsible for all of the trauma. His thoughts were dark and sad. Also in that room was Mazenda tied and gagged, but not watched. Gourry, Amelia, Zel, and Lina were all gathered opposite Christopher conferring about what to do next.

Zelgadiss wanted to call the police and no one was arguing, but his cell phone had been damaged in the fight and he was trying to find another. "Amelia, where's yours?" he asked, a tad exasperated.

Gourry, although he'd said he forgiven her, was still netted by Lina's near-death trick. He was now trying to exact a guarantee from her that she would never, ever risk her life again in such a way. "Ya gotta promise me that much, Lina, right?" he begged, _more_ than a tad exasperated.

"In my purse, but...I can't remember where I left it," Amelia replied with frustration and fatigue showing. "Oh, there on the side table, I guess."

"I don't haveta do nothin'. Look, I was laying there hurting, then I just saw this opportunity to get everything over with once and for all," Lina said wearily.

"If it worked," Gourry pressed his point.

"Which it did." Lina asserted, the fatigue definitely showing in the apathetic manner she argued. "Now what's that? Zel? You hear that?"

Zel had a cell phone glued to one ear and a hand pressed against the other. He heard nothing, so Lina marched across the room to the open doorway. "Mazenda? That you makin' noise in there?"

She was gone. "Zel! Gourry! She's gone! Escaped! Amelia, is there some kinda secret exit to that conference room we didn't know about!" Lina shouted.

"I don't know! I mean, there must be, but I didn't know! Oh, no! Where could she have gone!" Amelia cried. "Daddy! She's after _him_. I just _know_ it!"

Zelgadiss agreed that that was likely and raced around the room, fingering the walls, testing for a hidden doorway. "Found it! Here, behind the bookcase that fell over, it's an exit to the outside."

"Alfred must have learned about it and told Mazenda and Kanzel in case they needed a quick getaway." Amelia glanced down at Alfred one last time before chasing after Zel. The cloth which had tied Mazenda's wrists together was wrapped around the young man's head, loosely covering his eyes and mouth. In death as in life, he clueless as to how the syndicate really operated.

…

Phil discovered that his legs could support him. He tottered uneasily out of the enclosure and out to where he saw Xelloss gazing at nothing. He leaned heavily on the shorter man's shoulder and asked, "See anything interesting?"

"Perhaps. Do you own a black sports car?"

"No, nor does anyone living with or employed by me or my office. You see one?"

"Yes. Someone just left in a big rush." Xelloss tensed. The sounds of familiar voices chattering and noisy footsteps were coming their way. Both men turned to see Zelgadiss followed by Amelia, Lina, and Gourry running towards them.

"Daddy! You're all right! Xelloss, you too!"

"Yes, yes...I'm just fine. But..." Phil began.

Zelgadiss sprinted past them. He never slowed down. "The car just left!" Xelloss shouted after his fleeting figure.

"Come on!" Lina yelled at everyone. "Mazenda's getting away!"

Phil couldn't keep up; he knew that, so he waved them on. Amelia elected to wait with him. Now that she had him back, she wasn't going to leave his side.

The screech of tires preceded the sickening crush of metal and shriek of colliding masses in the dark. Then came the inevitable sirens as police and emergency vehicles wound their way up the hill.

"That was fast police action!" Phil exclaimed.

"Zelgadiss must have gotten through to Detective McGywn," Amelia told her father.

"I can walk," Phil told his daughter. "We might as well go see if we can help."

"Okay, but take my arm. It's dark."

McGywn was directing the younger officers around the crash site and up the road to the mayor's mansion. "Where the driver of this other car got off to, I dunna know. See if you can find anna clues around the perimeter. Yeah, keep the folks back. Oh! Not those kids, though, let them through. Ah, Zelgadiss, Lina... Gourry... and I suppose... yes, there he is. No mess is complete without Xelloss, eh?"

Zel and Lina greeted the detective with all the familiarity that past dances with danger warranted. "Hi."

"I dunna suppose any of you can identify the dead woman?"

"He can," Gourry said, pointing to Xelloss.

Xelloss wrinkled his nose at the bloody mess beneath the tarp. "Her name was Mazenda. Just Mazenda. A syndicate identity. Beyond that I can say little right now. She and her consort Kanzel were operatives under Gaav at one time, but if you give me a computer and a few minutes I can probably link them with a new local guy. Oh my..."

"What?" McGywn asked. He looked around trying to follow where Xelloss' line of sight was focused.

"Ah...that car. That belongs to a friend of mine..." Xelloss started to say.

"Oh, no..." Zel groaned. He hadn't really looked at the crumpled mess, but the pale color could easily have been silver. The car demolished beyond repair was most likely to become his. He had been wondering about Xelloss bringing his staff along, but now he considered ripping it out of his hands and breaking it over his friend's head.

"I borrowed John's car to get here after I tried calling Zelgadiss. I got this far when it ran out of gas. I guess in my rush I just left it in the road and..."

"Hey, it stopped Mazenda, didn't it?" Lina grinned.

"Dead in her tracks," Xelloss smiled in return then twirled his staff. It was a significant gesture, she knew.

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the **_Pumpkin Drawing Contest_** results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 25.


	26. Conversations

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 26 **

**Conversations**

"You can dress 'im up, but the geek's still there!" -- Filia

* * *

"Val?" Zel had been listening to his friend and roommate hacking out his lungs for half an hour behind his closed door. "Come out and have some dinner. Keep me company."

No answer, so he gave it his last pitch. "Xelloss is out... Visiting Candy."

The door opened. "Yeah?"

Val staggered into the kitchen then slumped into a chair. "Shit."

"No, _soup_, but if you keep on smoking, it'll taste the same." Zel placed a steaming bowl of chicken soup on the table.

Val breathed deeply of the fragrant vapor rising off the bowl. "Beautiful," he said with a sigh. "Sorry 'bout the other. Just not feelin' good."

"Excess will do that to you. Too much smoking. Too much drinking. Too much partying." Zel winced. He had twisted his torso too sharply, causing his bruised ribs to complain. Too much fun for him, too. Gingerly, he sat with his own bowl of soup and sliced a wedge of bread for dipping. His eyes met Val's. "But you're a smart guy and know all that." Enough preaching. He was beginning to sound like his father, or somebody's father.

Val slurped and made no motion to speak.

Zel had one more point to make. "You ought to live your life for yourself, not to try and impress others, or one other." Zel said that cautiously.

"That's what I'm doin'. Mostly. I've given up tryin' ta get through ta Filia. She's too busy with clan crap and I just can't be...what I'm not." Val finished his soup. "Got some more of this? You've gotta real gift with yer cookin'."

Zel stood and filled his bowl. "Thanks. The more I do it, the better I get. First, I figure out the techniques, then I find recipes with ingredients I like. The rest is like a chemistry lab."

Zelgadiss continued to explain 'kitchen chemistry' to his friend and roommate a few minutes longer.

"Do you think she likes him?" Val asked out of the blue.

"Who are we talking about now?" Zel sighed.

"Filia and Xelloss."

"No, if you mean more than a friend, and even that's tenuous at times. Val, he thinks that she just thinks he's easier to manage in certain environments, and you in others. No preference going on. Now, you had enough soup? Can I clean up?"

"Yeah, I'm done. Want me ta wash dishes?"

"No, I'm faster doing it myself. Have any homework?" Zel asked.

"Some. If I'd passed my classes my first year, I wouldn't have so much ta take this year. It ain't hard either, just...turn in stuff when I'm supposed to and show up test days. I was so stupid back then..."

Zel turned his way. "Not stupid, Val. You had no support at home and no future. Now you have, which is why your recent return to your past bad habits disturbs me...and Lina."

"Lina? Like she even notices. She's so busy with Xelly-boy and that mu-si-cal of theirs..."

"_Ours_. The musical is about _us_ and _we're_ in it. She'll have us practicing lines soon." Zel couldn't help but note Val's apparent irritation with their other roommate, Xelloss. "Val, if you have a problem with Xelloss, why don't you talk to him about it. It's better than me, I can assure you. He likes you and has nothing but good things to say about you all the time. Anyway, he's got a girlfriend, at least I _think_ he's patched things up with her."

"How 'bout his '_boyfriend_'?" Val sneered.

"John? Oh, he's taken care of that problem." Zel smiled slyly and chuckled. "He gave John the thrill of his life when he dragged Nuriko over and introduced them."

"I don't wanna think about that double date," Val groaned.

"Me neither, but now John has someone to distract him and I guess Nuriko's interested in psychology, too, so they get along well. I don't know, it's just what Xelloss has told me."

"Did he really buy the dude a new car?" Val asked as he picked up a towel to dry the bowls.

"Yeah. I drove them to a couple places and John picked one out. He thought it was a joke, until Xelloss pulled out his checkbook. Oh, he'd concocted some wild story about having a friend in the insurance company and I don't know what else. John bought it, the story that is, and drove home in a new car. Nothing fancy, but it had a great stereo system." Zel shook his head. "Sadly for Xelloss, Candy isn't so easily bought off, her good will, I mean. He tries so hard to do what he can, but…"

Val shook his head. "Yeah, I like the guy too, you know? Xelloss is...strange, but an okay dude. It's good he's found a girl who likes him, huh?"

Zel nodded and put away the stock pot. "I don't now how long it can last, though. He can't see Candy often and the recording we're doing over winter break...she's pretty resentful. She's even tried talking to me about changing the dates, or shortening the time."

"Why don't he bring her to a practice or invite her over here?" Val wondered. "She knows you already. Unless he's afraid of the com-pe-ti-shun from _me_."

"He might!" Zel smiled. "It's something we never all talked about, you know what I'm referring to, bringing friends over that aren't part of the Slayers."

"Yeah. Wouldn't bother me if he wanted ta invite her. You?"

Zel shook his head. "No, as long as it wasn't a regular thing. If you said something to him it would mean more than if I did."

"Coming from me?" Val smirked. "Yeah, he'll just think it's 'cause I wanna bring Nahga over."

Zel choked on his own spit. "N-Nahga? Do you mean that?" Zel nearly dropped his cup of water as he was about to heat it in the microwave to make tea. He'd have to wear his earplugs to shut out that piercing laugh of hers.

"Yeah, she's pretty cool when it's just her an' me. She don't put on no 'airs' either. An' she don't act like she's better'n me. Ya know, she's not dumb. She's got money of her own too, though it ain't nothin' like what I've got, but she don't know how much that is. Ya know what she wants to do?"

"No. Really, Val, I can't imagine what that might be. The only real conversation I had with her was last year in some dingy apartment in Sairaag. She was an exotic dancer at the time, the Great White Serpent, I think."

Val's turn to chuckle. "Yeah, her dad didn't think much of that job. Nah, she's waitressing with Luna these days, but she's got a mind ta open a spa. Somethin' real classy, but not snooty, like that country club Xelloss unloaded on me. I was thinkin' out in that desert, near my birthplace. There's some hot springs worth checkin' out, maybe in spring."

Zelgadiss selected a teabag and dipped it into his cup, then asked, "You're serious about this?"

Val nodded. "I got all that Ancient Clan place out there. Mostly, I think it deserves to be more'n a pile of rubble. Milgasia's gonna help me. He's a great guy. Real serious, but knows a lot. Luna too. I see her more now that she's goin' out with Julian."

"Julian!" Zel gasped. "The tennis pro?"

"Yeah. Never thought I'd like the dude, but turns out he's okay. He close'ta died trying to find me on that mountain. Anyway, he and Luna'er both doing law school, though she's just passed the bar—so I guess she's done. He wants ta get married, but Luna won't leave Lina alone."

"I didn't know," Zel admitted. "I never was on friendly terms with her."

"That's what I've heard. She thinks yer okay, just a nerd with the hots fer Lina," Val said. He just couldn't resist it.

Blushing, Zel turned back to his cup of tea. "I don't either..."

"Sure ya do, but, hey, who doesn't?" Val laughed. "'Course, now that you and little Amelia are seein' some action..."

Zel's eyes shot up, wide with surprise. "What do you mean?"

Val laughed louder, "Ya took her out, didn't ya...alone? An' I'll bet my ancestral home that ya didn't just drive through town, like I heard. Am I right?"

The heat rose to his face and Zel looked into his cup hoping to read in the tea-leaf detritus about some really dark future for the roommate seated across the kitchen table from him, except that he couldn't because he'd used bagged-tea instead of loose-leaf. "It wasn't around the town. It was up in the hills. Star gazing...and all."

"It was rainin'. Ain't no stars, or were ya too busy ta notice?" Val snorted and chuckled, but he could see that his friend was truly uncomfortable talking about anything too personal. "Hey, I don't want ta hear no details, dude. Just pullin' yer chain...unless ya wanna tell."

"NO! I-I don't. Listen, there's nothing going on with me and Amelia. She's a nice girl and all but...it's not me she's after." There, he'd said something about what was troubling him. It was hard to open that wound.

"Not you? Who then?"

Zel sighed. "Nobody you know. The guy's dead now anyway."

"No shit..." then Val realized who Zel was talking about. He had missed the attack on the mayor and regretted not having been there to help out.

"Yeah, you missed all that, including meeting Amelia's cousin..."

"Alfred? Yeah, Gourry told me about the guy, and I'm not talkin' about the in-see-dent either. I mean that Gourry said the guy was a dead ringer fer you, ah...without the scars and all. But wasn't as sure as you about Amelia bein' in love with the dude. He was her cousin and they were close as kids, he said."

Zel fixated on his tea.

Val thought about what Zel had said and Gourry both. "Ya know what I think? I think A-mee-lee-a likes you and she liked her cousin, and yer looks an' his looks just don't mean nothin' to her, and that's that. Yer not as smart as I thought, if yer think she's that su-perfi-shul." Val gave Zel a hard stare, trying to penetrate that thick Greywords skull. "She's more ma-ture about that than you."

Zel darted a hard look up at Val, then back down at his cup.

"Yeah, I said that! Yer all messed up about how ya look, so do somethin' about it."

Zel slammed his cup down with surprising violence. "All right, I will..."

Val started at the sudden intensity of his action.

Zel sighed and regained his composure. "Ah...but promise me something? If you ever bring Nahga into this house, warn me." He pointed to one of his ears and smirked.

They were back at school again. It felt odd. The Slayers were living in two worlds– one as extraordinary kids in the adult world and the other as that of ordinary teenagers doing the customary things. All, except for one, Xelloss. He never had fit in with the common teen scene and he wasn't about to start now. Freed from the restraints of his mother's rule and taste and encouraged by Lina's dauntless attitude toward their band costuming, Xelloss had begun to acquire a wardrobe of peculiar, often flamboyant, clothes which were mostly for performing. Now, to be fair, everyone in the band had done this, but few wore the outfits to school. Sure, Zelgadiss snuck out with a black mesh shirt under a sweater, his earrings, and perhaps a studded belt or bracelet. Val retained his tough exterior and wore his black and chains and piercings daily. Even Lina's dressing showed more care taken to choose marvelously garish combinations on occasion. But Xelloss took it a step or five further. Not that he cared what anyone thought of his appearance, it was just too damn fun to shock and annoy the sensitive folk, that plus he reveled in the attention brought by both his visual aspect and the growing celebrity of the band.

So today, fresh from the success of recording their first CD with the Flying Figs, he ambled carelessly down the hall to an appointment. He and Lina had their semi-regular meeting with the drama teacher and with the principal, and this time they had a CD to show for all their holiday time. Humming a tune from the band, he was smiling and relaxed in his shiny yellow vest and loose-fitting black leather jacket whose sleeves were printed with a wine and green colored diamond pattern. Lina had seen the jacket in a store window while in Atlas City and declared it 'perfectly Xelloss.' So, he bought it along with the vest, which she loved as well. Low slung, snug, black leather pants completed his ensemble. The pants were new. He didn't like them for sitting long; never for drumming. But since this was play and not work, he was giving them a test run. Val swore by them; of course, he did a lot of swearing.

Xelloss hummed and strolled, until he was brought up sharply by a loud, rude voice and a body built like a brick wall.

"Hey, look who we have here...the little drummer boy. You know, the one that drums to a different beat?" The lout turned up his lip into a snarl, grabbed his crotch and growled, "I think I got what yer lookin' for."

A few of his buds drew up from behind Xelloss, sealing him into the compact knot of male malice.

Xelloss was totally unprepared. He hadn't had any 'situations' for a year now and had come to think the human race had evolved beyond harassment. Different beat? That was pretty sophisticated for these apes. Then he recalled that music reviewer's article. Did that author know that what he had written amounted to slander, or what, true or not, it could do to a guy? Not likely. Now, Xelloss was facing the problem head on, and was absolutely unafraid. He knew with total certainty that even as out of practice as he was, he could take them all out. It wasn't the entire football team, just five bullies from the team, and unless they all worked together and sat on him, he was in no real peril. Physically. Mentally...it was a pain. He thought of his clothes. Didn't want to mess them up. Damned tight leather pants really restricted his mobility too.

"Ah, well...sorry. I'm not interested in you boys. Now, if you would just..." Xelloss stepped to one side, putting himself in a better defensive position.

Rough hands snatched at his arms in an attempt to restrain him. Another ran along his thigh. Bad move. Really bad. With an effort, Xelloss wrested away one arm and was about to break bones, beginning with that most offending hand, when a different voice called out.

"Xelloss! Oooh, I've been searching all over for you." Filia pushed past the posse. Actually, the moment she appeared they parted like the Red Sea to give her space– the head cheerleader any of them would have killed to date.

"Oh, well..." Xelloss yanked his other arm free, jabbing an elbow into the nearest brute.

"I just wanted to give you this..." She pulled his face to hers and kissed him passionately. Shocked and unbalanced as he was, he nevertheless fell into his role momentarily, returning her kiss with practiced ardor.

She pulled back slightly, still holding his head with one hand and fingering his hair. "...I haven't forgotten our _time_ in Atlas City over the break. I hope you haven't either."

"How could I forget?" He smiled. What _time_? The massive headache? The fan attack?

"You forgot your room key..." she purred.

Oh, _that_ trip to Atlas City! "How absentminded I was! Lucky for me you are a _sharing_ person," he replied, adding a husky edge of seductiveness to his voice.

"Right. So, ah...what are you doing here? Come on, say bye-bye to your fanboys and walk me to my next class, okay?" Filia snaked her arm around his waist and nudged him with her hip.

"As you wish," Xelloss smiled and wrapped an arm over her shoulders. "Excuse us."

Amid some runts and shuffling, the party was over.

"Whew!" He gasped when they were out of sight.

"I just ruined my reputation for you just now, you know that?"

"You made mine!" He smiled. She wasn't smiling though. She was expecting something. "Thanks, but...I could have handled them. In fact, I was about to..."

"What, start a fight in the hall?"

"Well, to be more accurate, they were the ones to start it all. I was just walking..."

"But it _would_ have been a fight. Xelloss, you know that..." she lowered her voice to a whisper, "...that Grauscherra guy thinks you are too weak to be a threat. You take out five guys and you'll look like a trained thug or something... Okay, not a 'thug,' but you'll get him thinking and ruin your cover."

Oh, that. He hadn't mentioned to anyone how he didn't think his cover was worth the trouble it took to maintain it, believing that Grauscherra was behind both the painting incident and the corruption of Alfred. Well, now was not the time to argue with Filia. "Oh. Right. Um, thanks, Filia. Really! I hadn't thought of that. I wasn't thinking, just reacting, I guess." Afraid that he hadn't made that sound sincere, he placed a hand on her arm and added. "I mean it, Filia. Thank you."

She weighed his reaction and decided his male ego was quashed sufficiently. "Yeah, well. Watch it next time. Been practicing?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I haven't been to the dojo in months," he asserted.

She slapped his hand away. "Not karate! Your _other_ moves...?" To his confused expression she dropped the subtlety. "Nice kissing, _nutcase!_"

"Oh...ah...some, I guess so, that is...if you think so, um..." He muttered inanely after being caught off-guard by her compliment.

Triumphantly, Filia tossed her blond ponytail and laughed, "You can dress 'im up, but the geek's still there!"

Before he could respond to that, she had left him there, gawking after her in the hallway.

"OOF!" He coughed after a hard slug to his mid-section punched the air out of him.

"Don't give me the 'I got lost' excuse either," Lina shouted. "What do I need? A leash? Do I need to put you onna leash so you get where and when you...scratch that...when and where **_I_** need you to be? Huh?"

"No, I got waylaid by a gang of..."

"Pirates. Sure, I know. Nice try. I saw you jawing away with Filia. Geesh, isn't that Candy enough? Ya gotta go and make trouble with Filia, too?"

"Well, actually, it wasn't me that started it. You see..."

"Yeah, yeah..." Lina gave him a push in the right direction. "It's never you. Trouble just surrounds you."

"Strange attractor."

"Huh? What?"

"Strange attractor. It's a physics term. My father named me after one, or it after me, I forget which. I funnel chaos..."

Lina was about to say something smart, but he looked so forlorn, she passed it up for something less harsh. "You keep life exciting, that's for sure."

He rewarded her with a smile, "Really? Well, I guess..." he insisted, "So do you."

She punched him gently, "Idiot."

"Hmmm," he smiled. "Our room. Yes, the teacher awaits within."

The drama teacher had been impressed with the music and all their progress. He had passed on a few suggestions, and then hastened the kids out the door to their next appointment.

Grauscherra was excited. "Me? In charge of the location? Why...that's... I'm honored, honored... This musical needs a fine stage and should accommodate several hundred...perhaps tens of thousands! Maybe a concert hall or an arena...or stadium. Yes...the stadium could hold 50,000 people!"

"Eh?" Lina crooked her neck up from her notes to see if the man was in his right mind. "No, no...500 or so will be big enough."

"I once attended a theater production in Mosquita," Xelloss put in. "It's a suburb of Seyruun," he added remembering that Grauscherra was new to the area. "If you'd like, I could locate the number for their Theater Arts Festival Committee?"

"Yes, would you? Use my computer right here, if you'd like," the principal said smiling. "This musical thing is so exciting. I'm so glad to be a part of it. I wish I could do more..."

Lina and Xelloss exchanged glances over the monitor. Xelloss nodded and continued his typing.

"Well, if you feel that strongly about it..." Lina said casually. "We do have this bit part at the end that hasn't been cast yet. Kind of a walk-on really...but you'd be the, ah, hero."

"Oh it sounds perfect, perfect! I could do introductions at the start and..." He slapped his hands together and grinned. "A musical role..."

"Getting back to my check list," Lina nudged. "About the ticket price, $20 might sound a bit steep for a high school function, but..."

"$20 for the seats in back, $50 for the mid-section, and $100 for the boxes– without a doubt!" the principal interjected. "Parking extra. Do you have kids to do that?"

Xelloss looked up from the monitor. What did this man think he was? A magician? "Ah, not yet. I have found the website and looks like we can do our booking from here. Okay, it appears Mosquita's largest theater seats 800. Parking...it has valet available, but if we substitute our own...students, we can earn more money; that is, if they will let us."

"Is the place available? How much? We're doing this for a profit!" the man shouted.

"I thought we were doing this for a grade..." Lina muttered.

"Okay, here's the deal," Xelloss said drawing the man to his side. "Look at this: schools, religious organizations, and non-profit organizations– special rates, and they are low. Shall I see if their calendar is open?"

"Do that. We'll book it today."

"If you like..." Xelloss dutifully began that process. "They will need a credit card number to hold the reservation."

"Oh? Here, use mine," Grauscherra whipped out his wallet and handed over a card.

Xelloss examined it. "Ah, sir? I believe you have made a mistake. This isn't a credit card." He offered the card back, pretending to be unconcerned.

"Did I? Oh! Indeed I did. Ah, yes, let me have that back. Here, this is what you'll be needing." Hastily the man traded him a credit card for a card from a syndicate-run shop.

Xelloss smiled briefly, and then completed the transaction under the studied gaze of the principal. "And...that's it. Lina? We have our location!"

Lina saluted him with a thumbs up. "That's all for my checklist then. You?"

Xelloss shifted on his chair. "Mr. Grauscherra, something you'd like to add?"

"Have you ever heard of the syndicate?"

Xelloss exerted the utmost control over his features to remain composed. What kind of game was his man playing? Was he to pretend that he didn't know Grauscherra was one of the elite members, that his mother had been his equal, that his father had been the head of a competing conglomerate, that his Aunts, Uncles... his family was imbrued in syndicate muck? That he had crossed paths with the syndicate twice in the Thanksgiving vacation? Was this man being cagey or just plain stupid? Xelloss smiled and answered, "Ah...yes. I once had an uncle who sold articles to several publications."

Grauscherra did a double-take? "Eh, what? Oh...I see, you thought I meant 'syndication', common mistake. I've made it myself! But actually I was thinking of this other...organization of...well, it doesn't matter. I can see you're confused."

Xelloss nodded, "Yes, sir!"

"So, do you have an hour or so? I'd like to take a drive. Let's all go for a drive and see this theater in Mosquita, shall we?" Grauscherra reached for his coat.

Lina shrugged her shoulders in answer to Xelloss' raised eyebrows. "Sure, why not?" she said.

On the way out, Grauscherra stopped at the office secretary's desk and asked about his assistant. No, Miss Sherra had not yet returned from lunch but was due in any time. That news seemed to please him.

"She's such a workhorse. All work and no play, you know?" the man snickered on their way out. "I'm sure she'd find umpteen other things for me to do if she knew I was about to go out. Well, this is important too, isn't it? Of course!"

Lina agreed, "Yeah..." She had decided that insanity ran in the syndicate. It must be in the blood...

The moment Xelloss walked in the door, Zelgadiss was on him. "Want a ride to the Shrine to see Subaru?"

"Yes. Do I get to eat first?"

"No, but I did make you a sandwich. Take it and turn around."

"Can't I go to the bathroom?" Xelloss whined.

"There are plenty at the Shrine. Get moving. I'm meeting with Sylphiel and she only has a few minutes before she's going to a game. Cheerleading, you know."

Xelloss took a bite out of the sandwich as he led the way to Zel's car. "Napkin?"

"Lick your fingers."

"That's not hygienic."

"_You're_ not hygienic. You'll live."

As Zel drove the streets of Seyruun to the downtown, Xelloss asked, "Sylphiel?"

"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask that," Zel smirked. "I thought we might start dating." He stared straight ahead and counted...one...two...three...

"What? No! I don't believe that...ah...you were kidding, right? Naturally. Okay, so what's really up?"

"I want her to look over my character sketches, especially the costumes, for suggestions. She knows fabrics and what they can do better than I do."

"Did you run them by Filia yet?" Xelloss suggested.

"Yes, and she had some good ideas I'll think about." Zel shot Xelloss a quick glance. "She told me you had a near encounter of the bad kind in the halls. She saved your ass."

Xelloss made a face and squirmed. "Poor choice of words, little brother." He sighed and looked out at the bright lights reflecting off the wet street. The past few days had seen constant rain, tearing off the remaining fall leaves, and leaving the city gray and drab. Soon the holidays would dress it up again in lights and cheering colors, but for now, it was bleak looking. "Her timing was good, though. She stopped me from making a scene."

"That all?"

"All? I don't know what you mean. Just say what's on your mind like you usually do," Xelloss insisted.

"You're not...after her, are you?" A faint pink colored Zel's cheeks. "Not that I care, but Val was grousing about life and her name and your name came up...linked at times."

"Oh, gods, Zelgadiss, I can barely handle one girlfriend, much less juggle another, and especially one like...Filia. I don't need her insults on a regular basis, thank you. Think I'm a masochist? She is all Val's, as far as I'm concerned."

Zel nodded. "I think he's tired of trying to get her attention."

Xelloss nodded too. "She's being pressed into nearly full-time servitude out at the settlement, he should be aware of that. She's lucky to..."

"Be able to join in the band activities, I know, he agrees logically, but..."

"Emotionally... Yeah, I know. He's never around these days, what's up with him?" Xelloss asked.

"He's...how I do put this..._dating_ Nahga, partying late and...he's smoking again."

"Not in our house!" Xelloss declared.

"In his room, I think. Outside on the porch..."

"Nahga or the smoking?" Xelloss interrupted.

"Oh, ah...the smoking. Nahga, thankfully, has remained part of his nightlife outside of the house, although, that might change. Anyway... He's getting his class work done and homework too, so I can't come down too hard on him. He's just a little...jealous of your new more confident, successful persona, and of Candy."

"Candy? He's never met her, has he?" Xelloss asked.

"No, but he thinks you ought to bring her over. You know, the tour, dinner."

"Really?" Xelloss smiled. And you? Would you be okay with that?"

"Of course. She's a nice girl, Xelloss. Invite her anytime, but not _all_ the time."

"Over night?"

"_Occasionally_. I don't really care, Xelloss, but I don't want me or Val to gross her out in the morning. That's your job." Zel smirked.

Xelloss smiled in return. "It would help. She thinks I'm hiding a wife or something."

Zel chuckled. "I doubt it, but she's half right, you are hiding a huge part of your life from her. Have you thought about what and when to introduce the 'other' Xelloss?"

"Which _one_?" Xelloss sank back into the comfortable leather seat, the warmth of the heater kicking in and soothing his raw nerves. "I can think of practically nothing _else_. I don't know _where_ to start or _what_ to reveal or _when_ to stop..."

"When did you ever?"

"Ouch!"

"It's true. A year ago most everything was 'a secret' or you were blabbing about it constantly."

Xelloss opened his eyes and leveled a purple stare in Zel's direction. "Blabbing?"

"Yes, blabbing. Imparting way too much information at one time, although it was mostly about me at the time."

Xelloss smiled. "I see. Pretty annoying, wasn't I?"

"No end of annoying. Of course, I was a miserable wretch with a chip on my shoulder..."

"The size of a boulder. Yep, that was you." Xelloss grew serious again. "Speaking of shoulders...I'm nervous about the doctor appointment."

Changing the subject adroitly, Zel returned, "I'm more worried about the next practice with Lina."

Xelloss looked puzzled. "How so?"

"Oh, that's right; she's been dancing around the topic with you. Doesn't want to 'distract you from the musical' right now," Zelgadiss said.

"Lina's avoiding talking to me about what? I don't understand."

"All right, here's a few of the things she's been nagging me about. First, how did you know Mazenda and Kanzel, and what new information about them have you gathered? Second, what was up with the painting incident at the AtMet last week? She doesn't believe in coincidences, apparently. Let's see...thirdly... Why did you show up at the mayor's with your syndicate staff, the one with that heavy red stone on top— which she craves, mind you-- ? Why did you save Phil, and then not return to help the rest of us out– not a necessary action from my standpoint, but this was Lina's diatribe, not mine."

Xelloss shook his head. "Good questions, Miss Lina. And I have one for her: Why didn't you show them that ring I gave you and save yourself?"

"Oh yeah, Gourry was on her about taking too many risks; I mean, he was really mad at her. But, being there, I can say that it took us awhile to figure out that they were syndicate people, and the moment we made that connection, Mazenda's foot was connecting with my ribs. After that we were pretty busy and Lina probably just forgot. Amelia too."

"Amelia? Oh...you finally gave her that necklace, eh? How did she react? Or should I ask, how long a justice speech did you have to endure before she finally succumbed and accepted it?" Xelloss smiled at the mental image.

Zelgadiss smiled at an entirely different mental image. "She was all over me."

"Huh? No, really... Really? REALLY! Whoa...I haven't heard about all this. When did...what happened, tell me." Xelloss straightened and twisted sideways in his seat.

Xelloss' reaction was satisfying to Zel's ego. Smiling all the while, he parked the car and set the brake. "Ah, too bad. We're here. I have to run to meet Sylphiel. Maybe later. Shall I meet you at Subaru's room?"

Xelloss climbed out of the car and grinned, "Musta been a good time."

Zelgadiss hid his smile and marched onwards.

"Yeah, sure. Subaru's room. I'll be there awhile." Xelloss opened the door and greeted the novice on door duty, signed both himself and Zel in, and then pealed off to the left, leaving Zel to wander off to the right.

Subaru had been expecting the visit, since Zelgadiss had called earlier to warn him. He had not returned to high school since his sister's death. His spirit had been broken and the fix was slow in healing. Slow…slow like the repair of nervous tissue. But his heart was eased by work or at least his mind was distracted, and so, he remained at the White Shrine performing his priestly duties and interacting with no one unless forced to. The Slayers kids were a fortunate exception, fortunate for him. Twice weekly at least, Xelloss paid him a call. Xelloss had his own work to do for the shrine, but Subaru knew that that was often put off in favor of spending time with him. And, as much as he appreciated the company of Xelloss and all the Slayers, he felt it was nearly time for him to answer another call, one that would begin at the newly re-constructed shrine near Atlas City in Ridkou Village, and then possibly take him over seas. He had one more thing to do with his life, and it would begin soon, he thought.

"Hello," Subaru greeted the slightly taller, purple-haired priest at his door. "Come in. Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, thank you, ah...I'll be back in a second. Gotta find the men's room," Xelloss said before turning away.

"Four doors down on the left," Subaru called after him, and then returned to his hot plate and tea pot.

A few minutes later, the two friends were seated in Subaru's tiny priest's compartment, Subaru on the edge of his bed and Xelloss on the only chair. They exchanged pleasantries for awhile, then Subaru asked about Xelloss' week back, so far, since he'd last seen him. Carefully as possible not to reveal too much, Xelloss described the murder of Amelia's cousin during an attempt to displace the mayor.

That saddened Subaru. He asked about the planned funeral.

"Close family only. Not even me," Xelloss replied. "Amelia missed school today to attend. Her uncle wished it to be very low key."

"Ah..." was all Subaru had to add.

To change the subject quickly, Xelloss shared some of the musical details. "Zelgadiss will be stopping by later and he can show you his drawings. He's quite talented."

Subaru mentioned his own blossoming, though only passable, skills with the laptop drawing tool.

"Really? I have mine here in my backpack. Would you show me something?" Xelloss asked.

Subaru was reluctant at first, but slowly overcame a bit of his shyness when Xelloss admired his work. He was open about expressing his feelings, something Subaru was not, and after a short time, Xelloss was able to draw out Subaru's personality a little more.

"Next time I come I'll bring you one to use. I'd leave you this one, but it's got some sensitive information on it," Xelloss explained.

Of course, Subaru didn't want Xelloss to buy an expensive thing like that for him, so it took all of Xelloss' charm and a white lie or two- very difficult for Xelloss to pull off– to convince the guy that there was and 'extra' one 'with his name on it' just 'lying around unused'.

What else to talk about? Xelloss thought of Filia and the hall incident, and began to complain about that. "I am _so_ tired of being mistaken for being gay. I don't get it! I have a girlfriend; I don't hang around with guys, except the band. I mean, I have gay friends, but we don't go out places together. It's just so irritating to have to defend myself all the time. No one else I know has to! Nuriko, now he's bi, but he wears dresses, for godssakes, but with a blackbelt no one gives him any guff. Of course, at the university anything goes. He was pretty normal in high school, until his sister fell off a horse and died, and then he grew out his hair and decided to be the girl his sister couldn't be... Ah, then there's John. Did I tell you I had introduced him to Nuriko, and they've become quite close? Well, after buying him a car to replace the one I had borrowed and wrecked..."

Subaru's eyes had narrowed, then widened at that piece of news.

Xelloss jabbered on. "Oh, yes, I did that, not actually wrecked it, I abandoned it and someone else totaled it, which was okay since it stopped them from getting away. Anyway, I think he got the wrong idea about me, so I told him about Nuriko and promised to bring him over. He's pretty recognizable these days, Nuriko is. Ah...where was I? Oh, so what is it about me? I'll change it...anything… Ah, but not the hair. It stays."

Expecting Subaru to ask 'why?' Xelloss looked up at him, and was astonished.

There was a strange expression on Subaru's pretty face. This one did not belong in his usual scope of lost-boy to innocent. This was a look of white fury, anger held back just behind the skin of his face. He was shaking. Slowly, he set his quivering tea cup down with a horribly, tiny clink on the saucer. He was silent. Silent like death. Xelloss felt his heart freeze. Oh, gods. What had he done? _Sister…died…change…hair…_

Hesitantly, painfully Subaru moved his lips to speak. It seemed to be a great effort to make words come out. "You…I…" he stopped trying. He closed his eyes. He breathed. Xelloss had stopped breathing. Oh, gods…what had he done?

There was a familiar crash, the jingle of keys, sound of footsteps. "Hey, guys. I brought—" Zel walked in on a scene that sent shivers down his spine. He dropped his gift of tangerines and sat down, right there, in the doorway. "Subaru…?"

"…I do not understand. I am sorry," Subaru said, very quietly. "I have not been in your situation. I cannot understand your pain. But…" his voice broke and he breathed for a while, trying to wrap his tongue around those cruelly elusive words. "But you are…"

"Xelloss, what—" Zel began.

"I was just talking about…what happened today…"

Zel's mind was ablaze with the firing of neural synapses. Thoughts connected…the sordid web grew more distinct, and yet more complicated…

Subaru stood up. "But those things do not matter. Why…why is it so horrible? Why do people hurt each other…if people…" he swallowed, "did not talk to each other, then…we wouldn't need…"

"To be anything but animals," Zel put in, trying to help—

"What is wrong with animals? I…I can…" he drew in breath. "Animals…I understand. With animals, you can be your true self. You…you don't have to hide behind propriety or—or…"

Zel's face displayed pain. Xelloss', turmoil. Subaru's…

…

"Animals…don't make each other cry…"

"But animals don't cry for anyone—"

"I had a dog, once," Subaru continued. Was he talking to himself? "I saved it, as a puppy. From cruel children. They were only children. But they could hurt another creature. Defenseless? So…I used my own body…to shield it. So they hurt me instead. Mostly with words. Then they went away. The dog cried for me. Not tears, but…with its voice. All dogs have different voices. I can tell any animal by its individual voice. Just like people. When my dog died…I cried for it. Because I would never hear its voice again. It comforted me, but…in the end…

"In the end there was nothing I could do to comfort it."

Silence.

Then, "It must have loved you very much, Subaru," Zel said, almost as if he were talking to someone younger…or maybe, as if he himself were younger. Simpler. "You are a very caring person."

"And that's the problem, isn't it?" Subaru asked, looking at him. Hs green eyes were full of tears. "That's why I'll never be good enough. Hokuto…used to tell me that I shouldn't care so much. That I'd break. But now… Now I don't care at all. About anything. I…don't feel any better."

"Subaru…"

"Xelloss…I don't understand. Why do people have the feeling of affinity? Why do they fall in love? You…you are attracted to women. That is okay, it seems. It makes sense. People reproduce. Animals reproduce. It is logical. Natural. But…why do people fall in love? Why is that necessary?"

Xelloss shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe we shouldn't. It would hurt a lot less. It would be better, I think, if we didn't…"

"Guys…" Zel had to stop this. This was stupid, destructive! This wasn't good for either of them. Xelloss was still venting his own frustrations, not even listening to what Subaru was saying. When did Xelloss listen? When did ANYONE listen to Subaru? Only Zel understood, and the burden was…was so heavy…

"I guess we need to form attachments with our mates…so that we feel obligated to raise our defenseless young…" Xelloss mused, feeling very much like scientific, logical, clear-headed Zel and hoping for a commendation.

Subaru shook his head. "But I loved my dog. I loved my sister. I…there are other kinds of love. I only know them. They hurt so much. I wish…I could be just like him and…not…feel…a thing."

If Xelloss had not heard him before, he heard him now. "Subaru…that's…"

"I'm sorry," Subaru said, tersely. "I am burdening you. You have much to think about. Many problems. And I cannot understand them. To be mistaken for something you are not…and targeted for it. To have too many who love you. I do not know that kind of pain."

Zel stopped him with the touch of a finger to Subaru's pale wrist. "Subaru…there was a time…when I had it all. I was the smartest, cleverest, most admired guy in my entire school. The sky was the limit and I can even now go back into that fifth grader's head and remember just how incredibly awesome that feeling was." Zel looked away. "Then in an instant, I lost it all. It was just…gone. I was a freak. A monster. I was wrapped in bandages head to toe for months, living and breathing pain without relief, then I had reconstructive surgery for more, then I came out looking like this!"

Zel spread his arms and tossed his bangs away from his face revealing the more heavily scarred side of his face. "I wanted to die. I was certain my life was over. I had lost what was important to me and I just couldn't face the world. I was very weak spirited, you see. Lina, thank the gods, was and is very strong. I was so lucky to have a friend like her to stick by me and make me move again and walk and after a while meet new people. Subaru, not much more than a year ago, I was a mess, and now…I have my friends, a family, the band…reasons to go on living and…loving as well. Most of all, I'm even able to talk about all this."

Zel took a deep breath. "Now, if I can do that, then surely there's hope for you. And all of us in the Slayers are here for you to listen and advise, yes, even incompetent guys like Xelloss mean well," he smirked over at his friend.

"There is hope, Subaru. And I'm here to tell you that even if you've lost it, I haven't…we haven't and we are here to remind you of that everyday. All right? Do you believe me?"

"Zelgadiss…" Subaru's eyes were brimming with tears, almost over-flowing. "All I wanted was to be someone important to him…some one he could care about…that was all."

"We care about you, Subaru. It may not be what you want, but we're here anyway. All right?"

"Can…I be alone? For a while?" he asked, nearly whispering.

Zelgadiss grabbed Xelloss and nodded. "Try the tangerines. We'll be back soon…call me…if you want to talk more. I'm ready for it if you are," Zelgadiss said.

"I…soon. I'm…almost ready, I think," Subaru smiled very weakly. They left.

"Are you sure we should be leaving him alone? I mean…what he was saying...he sounded…"

"A little like you do, when you're working things out while you're talking."

"But…he sounded…desperate. On the edge. He doesn't talk like that…"

"And that," Zel sighed, turning a corner smoothly in his sleek car, "is the problem. Xelloss, he needs to talk through this stuff, or else he'll just internalize it as the truth of the universe. He has to get it out, put it in perspective, share with others. Get it? This is the first normal, healthy reaction we've gotten from him. Yes, his philosophy is abstract and…faintly disturbing. But it helps him to talk about it. All right?"

"But…what was he talking about? He doesn't really mean that he doesn't…you know…_like_ people? What sort of a question is 'why do people fall in love'? How can he expect _us _to answer that? How can he _need_ an answer to that?"

"Xelloss," Zel gritted his teeth, clenched the steering wheel a bit harder. "I'm sorry that you couldn't figure this out on your own, but… Look, what do you think set him off? What did you say that made him angry, or as close to angry as he can get?"

"Well…I said some stupid things…I got off onto Nuriko and mentioned that his sister died…and I talked about changing without cutting my hair…I mean, he had to cut off his hair after H-hokuto died so that he wouldn't see her every time he—"

"Well, that certainly didn't help, but that wasn't all you said. Do you want to know why he's so dysfunctional? Why he can't handle his grief?"

"I…"

"Xelloss, he was—IS—in love with Seishirou! Get it now? Seishirou and only Seishirou. And then he killed Hokuto. Subaru not only has to deal with loss, but betrayal—and guilt. He's all alone, now. His idea of love is completely and utterly corrupted. Now think about that for a while, and stop bitching about your love problems."

"I keep forgetting…" Xelloss mused when Zel's words had completely died away, "that there are people in this world more screwed up than me."

"Damn straight."

They drove on quietly for a little longer. Xelloss certainly had a lot to think about, Zel knew. He would probably be mulling it over for a few days…things would be nice and quiet—if a little dour—around the house for a while…

"You know what Subaru needs?"

Zel had no idea.

"A pet!" Xelloss brightened.

Oh, joy. Here we go again…

At lunch the next day, Lina asked to see Zel's drawings. "Zel these are…"

Zel looked up expectantly. One could never tell with Lina what she might like or not like.

"Spectacular! I love them! Feathers! I had been thinkin' leather, like bat wings for Val, but feathers…"

"Huh?" Val barked aloud. "Ya got me made out like a bird, Zel-bob? You told me a dragon-demon kinda thing!"

He ripped the paper from Lina's hand. "Oh…that's cool, dude. Okay…" Then he added with a spreading grin, "What's with the neckline on Filia's dress?"

Zel flushed as Filia broke from her conversation and riveted him with a cold stare. "My what?" Filia asked.

Zel snatched the drawing from Val, and then explained. "It laces up the front. I was just trying to show that by loosening them."

Filia rose out of her seat and towered over them both. "I might wear something under that…or not!" She laughed saucily and returned to her chair.

Xelloss slid over in his seat and peered over Zel's arm. "My, my, Zelgadiss. What was on your mind when you were coming up with these designs? Let me see…did you put the men in codpieces and the women all in bosom-baring dresses?"

Zel whipped the papers over, face down and slid them back over to Lina. "No."

"Oh, just the women are treated like sex symbols? Is that to **rack** up the dollars at the door?" Xelloss continued to tease him.

Zel tried to ignore him. "I got my ideas from books of period clothing."

Xelloss was now hovering behind Lina hoping to catch another glimpse of a design. Lina shuffled through until she found his. "Hey, I'm just in my priest's cloak? No fancy sorcerer's robes! Ach! Zel_GA_diss!"

Gourry was curious about what he'd be wearing. He was seated beside Lina, and so, simply looked over her head. "That's a great lookin' outfit for you, Lina."

"Yeah, I like it. Those shoulder pads kinda scream 'in your face' don't they, heh…heh? Here, you'll look pretty fine as a mercenary swordsman in that, right?"

"You put Lina in _pants_? And why doesn't Amelia have a low-cut bodice, huh?" Xelloss asked over Lina's shoulder, a safe distance from Zel.

"Because I'm the one doing the designs, not you," Zel growled dangerously. Okay, so Xelloss' criticism was beginning to get to him.

"Hey, Amelia, you get a traveling outfit with pants _and_ an occasional princess dress. Aren't you lucky," Lina smiled across the table to her younger friend.

"Well…that's good!" Amelia announced. "Princesses should have lots of clothes whereas the common people should wear the same things day after day. I'm sure Zelgadiss was thinking of that, right?"

Zel nodded. Sounded good to him.

Sylphiel was now checking all the pictures over, noting any changes he might have made.

"Hello!" a friendly voice called from behind her. It was Bobby, the harp-playing band leader from the Flying Figs.

"Hi!" chorused the Slayers.

"The CD went over well with the drama teacher," Lina began. "We scouted out our location with the principal, and that's all settled. Zel's been workin' out the character sketches, you know…clothes and stuff."

Sylphiel sighed, "I just know I can't sew all this alone…on time!"

"Ah, ha! Well, it's the Anguish of Snails…er…ah… the Flying Figs are multi-talented. Consider the sewing skills of me, Lee, and Pearl…oh, and Luke too, at your service!" Bobby tipped his floppy black hat towards Zelgadiss.

"Guys that sew?" Filia asked.

"And knit!" Bobby grinned. "We had this crazy German teacher in middle school who taught everyone to knit the first year and to sew the next two years. Good for costumes, I can tell you."

"You are hired," Zel sighed. A problem solved that he hadn't even thought would be a problem…

"Ah, there's just a wee bit of a problem," Bobby said apologetically.

"Of course…"

"We probably can't cover the cost of the materials, though we work cheap."

Zel was relieved. Payment, so that was all? "We have a budget, and you'll get paid for your time and material." Over Bobby's thrilled noises, Zel added, "I'll leave you and Sylphiel to work out who does what then, all right? Oh, for monetary issues, always go through Lina."

* * *

From the Authors:

****

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 26.


	27. Fishing For Solutions

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 27 **

**Fishing for Solutions**

"You _know_ him?" Zel heard alarms go off inside his head, and they screamed 'SYNDICATE!'

* * *

Zelgadiss had planted himself by the practice room door purposely. With the door ajar, he could listen for a car coming up the drive to the mayor's mansion while playing guitar without making it too obvious that he was doing so.

There it was. That new car purr. Zel gave Xelloss a quick nod and tilted his head toward the door. Xelloss dropped his drumsticks and tripped over a cymbal stand, knocking it over with a resounding crash, in his rush to the door.

Lina, who had been practicing a delicate harmony part with the other girls and Val's piano work, jumped at the noise and shouted, "Damned drums! Keep'em quiet!"

"Sorry." Xelloss giggled a little and continued to hustle toward the door.

Gourry nimbly stepped into his path, blocking a pile of cables strung out on the floor. "Careful there..."

"Oh...yeah, thanks," Xelloss cast over his shoulder.

Zel seeing his friend's nervous activity, opened the door wide, and then stepped aside for Xelloss to fly by.

Filia laughed followed by the twitters of the other girls. She had guessed he had to make a run to the lavatory. A minute later, Xelloss returned accompanied by two other voices.

"Huh?" Lina noted the two newcomers.

"Ah, everyone?" Xelloss called out in a voice a bit higher than usual, another sign of his nervousness. "This is Candy and John. John is… um…dropping Candy off. He's the guy whose car I got totaled. Candy is...in the math class with Zelgadiss and me."

John chuckled and nudged him, "Not to mention your girlfriend, Xelloss?"

Filia whispered, "He made a run to the John, get it?"

Sylphiel giggled, making Candy blush thinking that they were talking about her.

Xelloss, to his credit, clasped Candy's hand with his and smiled. In answer to John, he said, "That's right. And...you've met Zelgadiss..."

"Nice to see the 'little brother' again," John joked and shook Zel's hand without blinking an eye. He had been forewarned about his appearance before Zel had driven Xelloss and him to buy a car, but he had to brace himself again in order to risk hand-to-hand contact without flinching.

Zel cleared his throat, "Car sounded pretty good coming up the hill."

"Love it! I was wondering if, oh...maybe in a year or two, I might get Xelloss to borrow this one and wreck it too so I can get a new one. Maybe every few years, eh? Think that insurance guy would see through that scam?" John asked, the levity in his voice assuring everyone that he was only kidding.

Xelloss finished the introductions, and then John left. "Want to come sit over by me?" he asked Candy, leading her shyly to the back of the room where his kit sat.

Lina checked her watch. "Guys, the clock in here is slow. I've got a quarter till five. How 'bout we go over this last song a couple more times with the chorus and then call it a night. Then instead of practice Friday, we'll meet here and let Rodimus and Zolf pack the stuff and learn how ta carry out their new jobs for us at the gig in Sairaag. It's a bigger venue than we've done before, but Zolf knows the place so setup'll be straightforward. Xelloss, we'll do our number if Joey can make it. Can he, Gourry?"

Gourry looked at Xelloss and Candy. Zel had told him that Xelloss was bringing Candy along to hear them play in Sairaag. She didn't need to see her new boyfriend and Lina dirty-dance, Gourry decided. He didn't either. Joey wouldn't know the difference and... Nope, he definitely wanted Xelloss and Candy to stay together. He had never felt so good about his chances with Lina before... Xelloss was giving him an opening. Then he remembered those tickets he'd been given by his mom. Yeah, he was gonna ask her out. He'd better talk to Lina about going, before it skipped his mind again. But then, what was that she'd just asked him?

"Gourry! _Pay_ attention! I asked about your brother, Joey. Did you forget to ask him about Friday!"

"Um...no...ah...he's still got soccer practice and a game the next day. His team's made it to the finals and it'll be a coupla more weeks at least, unless they blow it big Saturday against the..."

"Too much information there!" Lina interrupted him waving her arms. She turned back to Xelloss and said, "Okay, so we won't do that number. That means you'll do that other lovey-dovey one with Val and Zel, 'kay?"

Xelloss smiled. "Whatever you say, ma'am!" He bowed from the waist, then settled onto his throne.

"You got that right!" she snapped back with a cocky grin. "All right, from the top..."

As the band played, Candy listened and watched. She recognized most of the kids from the high school. Filia and Sylphiel, the cheerleaders she knew vaguely from attending her ex-boyfriend, Kerel's, games, and Gourry, who was remarkably tall with that mile-long mane of blond hair– wow. Val, she didn't know personally, nor Amelia, but like anyone in Seyruun, she knew who she was. Now Lina... Were those sparks flying between Lina and Xelloss? She shook off her jealousy as best she could; it really fit her like an out-of-date jacket, and was just as unwanted.

"What about Amelia?" Filia asked as they packed up guitars and mics. "She hasn't been to school all week and missed today's practice."

"I'll call tonight and see what's up," Lina replied. "Her cousin's double-dealing and death was quite a blow. In fact... Hey, Zel! Why don't you give her a call and see if there's something you can do to cheer her up? Oh...no... don't you give me that 'why me?' look or I'll tell you why!"

Zel swallowed his objections and simply replied, "I'll think about it."

"So what's for dinner?" Candy asked Xelloss as they entered his house. Practice had ended soon, thankfully, after she'd arrived, and now she was a bit nervous about this visit as well. This was not an ordinary high school rock/pop band, and none of them were ordinary high school kids.

"You can watch from the table, while Zelgadiss and I perform our culinary magic," Xelloss answered.

"You're not going to tell me?" she said in a mock-complaining tone of voice.

"Nope. It's a secret!" He giggled and skipped through the front room. "This is the front room, 'cause it's in _front_ of the others!"

She smiled. Val, coming up from behind grumbled something like, "Beware the return of the fruitcake." Candy turned and looked at him curiously. "He must _really_ like ya. He's actin' all goofy," Val said with a wolfish grin.

"I thought he was just happy," she said smoothly.

"You'd know more 'bout that, than me," Val chuckled. "I'll be in here. Let me know when it's ready." He stomped through the house to his room and shut the door.

"I don't think he likes me," Candy whispered to Zelgadiss, the last to enter the house and remove his shoes at the door.

"Who? Val? It's not that. It was his idea to invite you over." Zel lowered his voice a little, and then said, "He's trying to be cool. He's curious about you and awkward about trying to get to know you so he comes off harsh sometimes. I also think he's a bit jealous of Xelloss attracting such a..." This is where Zel's brain caught up with his mouth. He blushed and mumbled something like, "...nice girl like you." He skittered off to the kitchen not wanting to have to see her reaction.

By this time, Xelloss had finished his roving and wrapped her in his arms from behind. "Are my roommates giving you a hard time now? 'Cause if they are, I'll have to beat them up!"

Candy laughed and leaned into him. "No, please don't do that! They're just trying to make me feel at home. Everything's okay. I am getting hungry though..."

"Chips! I'll get you a snack!" He released her with the intension of running off again.

"No you don't!" she said. "That felt nice. I don't think I'm going to let you go." She twisted around, re-wrapping his arms around herself in the process, and snuggling closer.

"Ah, well...this isn't going to get dinner on the table," he reminded her.

"Ummm, Zelgadiss can take care of that all by himself. I'll just snack on you in the meantime."

Xelloss' eyebrows shot up questioningly, but she didn't wait for him to catch up. She reached around his head and pulled his lips down to meet hers in a heated kiss.

In the kitchen, Zel felt the blood rush to his face and he cursed his excellent hearing. He found his own intimate moments bad enough, but to overhear other's amorous noises was downright embarrassing. What if they brought that into his kitchen! "Xelloss! I'd rather do this alone tonight, all right? Why don't you give Candy the tour and rest on the couch or something? I'll get this done faster without you."

"'Kay," came the delayed response.

Forty minutes later, the three young men and the young woman were digging into Zel's stir-fry with rice. Val got up and served her a drink. Zel offered her seconds. Xelloss could hardly eat he was so excited to have her there to show off to his best friends. By the end of the meal, they were all laughing over some shared joke. Having a girl there improved all their manners; Val was on his best behavior. He could tell that this was one 'qual-i-tee babe' and didn't want to thwart Xelloss' chances at making the relationship last. Zel was surprisingly talkative, even though his favorite topic seemed to be the last math exam. Xelloss smiled at that. His friend and 'brother' was really opening up of late. His smile grew smug. He knew he'd been a large part of that change in his friend. But Amelia had no small role as well, he bet.

"Go on..."

"Hmm?" Xelloss looked up as he realized Val was addressing him.

"I said that I'd do cleanup tonight while you do that math Zel was talking 'bout," Val said as he cleared the table of the last of the dishes.

"'Kay," Xelloss smiled. He watched as Zel and Candy pulled out their notebooks and pencils and hungrily dug into the math meal. Soon, he joined in as well. Val even brought a book of his own over to the table and began to read. A bit later, Zel and Xelloss were working on their chemistry, while Candy completed an essay using Xelloss' laptop. Val began a history assignment, finished it and cracked his math book.

Xelloss was having difficulty focusing any longer. He began to get fidgety and checked his watch. He was _way_ overdue on his meds today. "Excuse me," he murmured. "Be right back."

"You all right?" Candy called after him.

"Yes!" he called as he disappeared into his room.

"Done," she announced triumphantly. "Another essay over with. Freshman English is a lot of boring essays." Her eyes met Zel's. "Is there a printer I can hook up to this to get a copy of my file?"

Zel nodded. "There are three at least. Val and I each have one, and Xelloss has at least one in his room. If you'd like, I could..." He was about to offer to print it out for her when he felt Val's foot pressing into his.

"Chill out..." Val's mental telephony signaled him.

"No," Candy said, the weight of her hand on his arm stopping his motion. "But thanks, though. I'll go find Xelloss'. Oh, and if I don't see ya 'til morning, thanks for the great dinner, Zelgadiss. Nice meeting you too, Val. Night guys!"

And with that she made a neat stack of her papers, picked up the laptop, and left in search of Xelloss. Finding the one closed bedroom door, she knocked on it, opened it, stepped in, and shut it behind her.

"I...ah...think I'll take a walk," Zel muttered. He stopped mid stride with Val's rugged hand on his shoulder. Everyone seemed to be unafraid to push him around these days. Maybe he was becoming too nice...

"It's rainin' like hell out there." Val leveled his golden eyes at Zel's hooded blues. "Ya can't run away from this. Might as well just put on some music and get used to it. Your bud's got a girl and you've just been de-mo-_ted_ to that number _two_ spot."

Zel sighed and nodded.

"Hey, I like her too, if that makes ya feel any better." Val smiled an almost-tender, understanding smile. "He's a luc-kee dude."

Zel nodded.

"So, when he's ready ta ditch-er, how 'bout we share her, huh?" Val asked.

Zel flushed at his crude attempt at humor.

"Ah...Zel, I didn't mean it that way. Man, your head is in the _sewer_ lately. Drawing pictures of girls hangin' outta their blouses...and now lus-_ting_ over yer bud's chick..." Val began to chuckle at Zel's flustered response. Val saved him in the end. "Hey, we got our homework all done. We outta go out an' celebrate. I say..._pool_. I'm feelin' lucky tonight." Val tipped his head towards the bedrooms. "Not as _lucky_ as him...heh, heh!"

Zel punched Val in the arm, "Let's go then. Ah… and better leave him a note."

Val laughed, "Like _he'll_ notice we're gone!" He did leave a note, though.

It was a subdued bunch gathered at the breakfast table the next morning. Val left first, chewing on a piece of toast.

"I'll get the car warmed up," Zel croaked. "You almost ready?"

Candy nodded, sipping her coffee and combing a length of wayward hair behind her ear. "One more eye to get open, then I'm there. Oops! The other's closed. Damn, gotta start all over... Aahhh! Was that you, Xelloss! You creep! Keep your icy cold fingers to yourself!"

He leaned over and purred in a low velvety voice, "That's not what you said last _nii-iight__!"_

"You!" She slapped him playfully and laughed. "You're embarrassing Zel, and he's been so good making us dinner and sharing his space and driving us to school." Turning in Zel's direction, as he was making toward the door, she said, "You're a peach!"

Xelloss rolled his eyes and grabbed both his and Candy's bags. "I always wondered what that meant. Zelgadiss, does that mean you're fuzzy and sweet? I mean, he's _definitely_ neither of those. Nor is he a fruit! Don't suggest _that_! Or might you be implying that he's good enough to eat? If so, I take offense at that, since you are dating me and should not be eating my little brother!" He followed her out the door, both of them giggling. "Nor should you be tasting him, darling...or testing if he's ripe...or...Hey!"

"Okay, that's enough, I mean it," she said with a pinch to his waist. "No more joking or teasing in the car, okay? Show him some respect."

Xelloss fell silent and climbed into the narrow back seat of the shiny sports car, and there, closed his eyes.

Later, after their classes at the university were over and they were on the road to the high school, Zel sighed a sigh of relief. "How about that," Zel commented to his subdued friend. "No chemistry labs until after the winter break. Another evening free to..."

"Go shopping," Xelloss supplied.

"No."

"Yes."

"Really?" Zel asked for verification.

"Yes."

"Any particular place?"

"Yes."

"Care to impart the destination to me?"

"Not now. Later." Xelloss rubbed his eyes gently and looked out the window.

"Everything all right?"

"Kinda." Xelloss smiled slightly. "I, ah...introduced her to one of the other Xellosses last night."

"Oh."

"She walked in on me with a bottle of meds in my hand, my eyes were dilated, hands shaking... heh..." he chuckled. "So, I told her about the ADD thing. I'd already had to explain some of the abuse stuff, you know...the scars and all. Now this."

"And? How did she take it? She seemed friendly this morning," Zel said.

"Yeah, well...I'm not sure. She's not stupid. She knows it's hereditary and probably doesn't want to produce children prone to failure or flying off the walls. It's one thing to date a nutcase, another to seriously consider a steady relationship with one...with me."

"Did she actually say all that?"

"Kinda...not the actual words, but I could tell she was disappointed. The scars aren't nice, but they're not an incurable disease like..."

"It'll work out," Zel assured him and parked in the high school parking lot. "Give her some time to think about it."

Xelloss shrugged.

"Neither one of you was sleeping on the couch this morning so it can't be as bad as you're making it out to be," Zel said.

Xelloss' turn to choke back a gasp. "I can't believe you said that!"

There were parts of Seyruun that good kids normally did not stray to. One of these parts was Val's old neighborhood. Another was Chinatown.

Besides a few good restaurants, there was little but filth there to interest people, as it lacked the charm, expanse, and population of other cities' incarnations.

Knowing this, it is understandable that Zel was surprised when Xelloss pulled up into a parking space by the curb in the heart of the broken down neighborhood. Heart...if this was the heart, it would take double-bypass surgery to even attempt to fix it...

"What are we doing here?" Zel wondered.

"Going shopping!" Xelloss replied. It would have been infuriating, but Zel had been prepared for it from the moment the words left his lips. It was just too perfect a set-up for Xelloss to resist, he knew. He wondered if Xelloss would ever find a new joke for his repertoire.

"All right," Zel threw up his hands, as if dropping responsibility like a hot potato into Xelloss' lap. "Your turn. Lead on."

"Oh, we're not going far!" Xelloss grinned. "Right here!"

Zel had to admit, the building before them was a mite less dingy than the neighboring ones. There was a faded, unreadable sign outside hung from the eaves, but all of the windows were intact, at least. They were dark, as if they had been painted black from the inside... Xelloss knocked on the door–it was like the door to a private house, rather than a commercial building–and Zel followed him cautiously, ears prickling for danger, into the gloom.

"May I help you, young sirs?"

Zel jumped –for once, his elven ears had failed him; he hadn't known the man was there until he spoke. He turned towards the voice to see the speaker.

It was a man...perhaps. The voice had sounded male, albeit not very deep, nor very fluent, though he could not place the accent...Asian, naturally, but from where was a mystery... The possessor of the voice was a mystery, as well. He (?) was tall, thin, elegant and statuesque in a long, Chinese-style silk brocade gown. The mandarin collar encircled a long, pale neck, and the intricate embroidery on the garment ran the pillar-like length of his straight body. Hair was dark, shiny, straight, and cut crisply at his jaw-line (Xelloss-style almost, but with a center part and no bangs), curling slightly like his darkly colored lips. Contrasting with his deathly pale skin, it was quite striking. And after Xelly and Subaru, Zel'd thought he had seen it all...

"We're interested in purchasing a pet!" Xelloss piped up, pleasantly, as if he did business with this 'Madame Butterfly' poser on a regular basis.

The man chuckled, not without a certain air of creepiness. "Why, of course you are! Why else would one peruse a pet-shop?"

Zel coughed. "This is a pet-shop?" Usually, the first thing one notices about pet shops is the unique smell of hundreds of different animals' stinks blending into a complex, pungent odor found elsewhere only in zoos. Here, all that Zel could pick up was a heavy, cloying scent of incense. As his eyes got used to the dimness, he could only make out painted screens, carved doorways, luxurious curtains, hanging lanterns and low, polished rosewood couches. It looked like a courtesan's parlor, or an opium den, or a place for movie Chinatown mafia to conduct their business. By no stretch of the imagination–and costuming Val in fantasy garb was testing its elasticity–was this a pet shop.

"Welcome to Count D's Pet Shop," the man smiled graciously, which made him look quite like the spider inviting flies over for tea. It didn't help that his silky black hair permanently covered one eye, a screen before the emperor...or a mask? "I am Count D. My grandfather is proprietor; I am in charge while he is away. How did a young man such as yourself chance to hear about this humble establishment?" he was talking to Xelloss, now, who seemed to have all the answers.

This was unnerving. Whatever this was a front for, Zel did not want to know. But so long as Xelloss was playing along, he wasn't sure what to do...and Zel didn't like to be at a disadvantage. True, this wasn't quite a bookcase crushing his sternum, but it screamed danger in a whole other way.

"Your grandfather supplied my...mother...with a population of wolves for some family property," Xelloss explained, easing into this eerie, anachronistic speech.

Recognition flashed over the Count's fey features. "Ah, yes. The special interest group. Good customers. Are you looking for something...specific?"

"Well...actually, I hoped you could help me. You see, I'm looking for something for a friend..."

So Xelloss was going to follow through with what he'd said after that last, unpleasant visit with Subaru. What a surprise.

"A friend?" the man asked.

"Yes...he's very lonely, but he loves animals. I hoped we could find something for him...I know he had a dog, once. But he has limited space. What would you suggest?"

"Tell me more...about this friend, and his needs," the man asked, sinuously. "Come...sit here. Shall you join me in some tea? I have quite a sweet tooth."

Seriously. Zel resigned himself. This was going to be an interesting afternoon.

They were seated on expensive couches, the cushions patterned in cranes and chrysanthemums, on one side of a delicately carved coffee table; the strange man positioned himself on the seat opposite. A nice tea was already spread out for them, as if he had known they were coming...or else he REALLY had a sweet tooth; there were enough tarts, biscuits, anpan, truffles, and petits fours to fully furnish Alice's mad tea party. With practiced expertise, the Count poured them cups of perfumed amber liquid from an elongated white china tea pot. His hands were long and white, his nails over an inch in length and manicured to a pristine state. With those polished talons, he plucked a sweet from the silver, tiered stand in front of him. Zel couldn't see nails like that being useful for much else. Xelloss delicately helped himself to a raspberry cheesecake square. Then they got down to business.

"About your friend?"

"He's still a teenager, though it's hard to think of him as such."

"He had to grow up fast," Zel explained. "He works for the Shrine."

"A priest?" the man asked.

"Yes. But he's lost family, recently...and he's not doing very well."

"By not doing very well, he means mostly catatonic," Zel added, and finally took a sip of the tea. Mm. Jasmine. Fine jasmine. With all of the incense in the air, it had been hard to discern exactly what the scent was...but now he could pick it out quite distinctly. Very nice. Zel approved. "He is a very sensitive, kind-hearted person." He politely drained his cup.

"Mild? Or passionate?" the Count asked, lounging luxuriously among the rich embroidery like a black panther in the multifarious jungle.

"..." Xelloss found that he could not answer.

But Zel could. "A bit of both. But he hides his emotions obsessively."

"For good reason?"

"For _any_ reason," Zel said, dryly. "They are all good to his mind." 'Good to his mind'? What century was this? Zel was playing along, too... Ah, well. The tea was good. With care and precision, he poured himself another cup.

The Count's eyes were trained on the sweep of his sweatshirt-covered arm, the tilt of the teapot, the stream of dark orange... "So you are looking for a pet to replace the loved ones he's lost?"

"Well..." Xelloss did not like that; it left a bad taste in his mouth...like good intentions gone foul. "I...just want something to make him less lonely."

"Oh, I understand, I understand," the Count assured him. "I did not mean to offend. I was simply...how do you say it in Seyruun? Ah, yes...calling it like I see it. Certainly, I would not belittle your good deed. You say he had a dog before?"

"A very beloved one. A malamute, I think, or a husky..." Where did Xelloss pick up that information?

"But he's living in a very limited space, right now. There's no room for a dog," Zel had to be the voice of reason. He decided to try a gingersnap.

"I see. Besides, a new dog...may make his loneliness worse. It would remind him of his departed friend, if he is as sensitive as you say."

Xelloss nodded, somber, newly educated.

"If you please...may I make a few suggestions?"

"That's why I came to you!" Xelloss smiled.

"And I thought it was the desserts!" the Count laughed. Xelloss joined him. Zel couldn't help but think they looked like two peas in a silk brocade pod.

"If he has limited space, a cat would be bored," D mused. "And besides, a cat is independent. One could not be satisfied with a life lived to comfort another."

Xelloss nodded. Zel wondered where the animals were in this shop. There must have been many back rooms, or else this front was smaller than it seemed. It was so dark outside of the pool of light they were sitting in, he couldn't tell much. But he could hear things...little noises, now that he was adjusting to the oddity of the place. He could just imagine a singing, man-eating plant in the back room...

"I am going to advocate the selection of a smaller pet. There are many kinds of bird that make good companions...perhaps a parrot capable of speech? Or a gentle dove? A clever crow?"

"We have birds at the Shrine," Xelloss shook his head. "He already takes care of them."

"Ah, yes. I had forgotten. Forgive me, I have been working too hard. I have not been outside my shop for pleasure in a long while," he chuckled. "And I suppose he may be opposed to keeping a flying creature grounded and caged. Let's see...

"Rabbits, guinea pigs, rodents...all would be very appropriate. They can form bonds with their humans, and some, such as rats, are very friendly."

"Rats?" Xelloss wrinkled his nose. "Vermin!"

"You do not approve?" the Count frowned jokingly.

"Rats are great pets," Zel piped up, remembering. "Back in elementary school–"

"And rabbits are ferocious!" Xelloss insisted.

"They _can_ be," the man smiled, and shared a knowing look with Zel, as if they were both putting up with a friend's silly eccentricities. Zel broke down and took a petits fours.

"And mice smell terrible...they're as dirty as rats. And hamsters! Don't get me started on hamsters!" Xelloss was getting all worked up for a fight against the little horrors.

"We'll try to avoid it at all costs," Zel yawned.

"Any animal can become unfriendly if it is not treated right. Have you considered a plant? We have several varieties of carnivorous plants that have a lot of personality," grinned the Count.

Zel saved himself from embarrassment by nearly choking, rather than spitting out his mouthful.

"He doesn't have any windows. Melancholy gloom and all," Xelloss explained. Zel thought he caught him humming a bit of 'Suddenly Seymour,' but it could have been his imagination filling in missing notes.

"All right... Reptiles are very high maintenance, though they are charming. If he is busy with priestly duties, he should not be preoccupied with misting a lizard."

"I can't quite see Subaru with geckoes," Xelloss smiled.

"Subaru?" D raised a thin eyebrow. "Subaru Sumeragi?"

"You know him?" Zel heard alarms go off inside his head, and they screamed 'SYNDICATE!'

"I have heard of his tragedy, yes. Loneliness...yes, _that_ would be his malady. Sakura flowers bloom for only a few days a year...fleeting beauty. He has had only fleeting happiness. What he needs...is something permanent. Something that will not leave him. Something..._eternal_."

"Yes!" Xelloss lapped it up. Zel helped himself to another cup of tea.

"I have just the thing. Follow me," he smiled, a stood, beckoning them after him.

There were many back rooms, and dim hallways. The place was huge, and all richly decorated with oriental carpets, inlaid ceilings, ornaments in half-hidden nooks. The lighting was low, golden, mysterious. Frankly, Zel still didn't believe this place, which seemed quite 'down the rabbit hole,' but as he caught sight of brilliant birds fluttering ineffectively in wire cages, light flashing on keen eyes, and flashes of movement in the shadows, he could at least believe there were animals here. There seemed to be no other humans, though. Did this effete, refined young man really take care of all of these shadow-dwelling animals? With fingernails like that?

"Here we are..." he opened a rice-paper screen door and gestured for them to enter.

The wall was glowing, blue. Of course, the wall was lined with fish tanks. These tanks made a low, white buzzy hum that Zel tried to ignore, and they burbled and gurgled liquidly. Hundreds, maybe thousands of fish started at their entrance, like a flash. Angel fish, goldfish, neons, black mollies, gourami, betas–-there were at least fifty Zel couldn't identify. It was quite impressive.

"A fish?" Xelloss wondered.

"Yes, but a very special fish," the count smiled. "A fish that has been known to outlive dynasties. It represents prosperity, as well as eternity, long life. In Japanese, its name is the same as the word for 'love,' though not so much is made of that coincidence, other than some lovely puns, if one is partial to such tricks of language... Right here, now, young sirs. We keep them in a safe place."

Xelloss followed him back behind the wall of tanks.

Meanwhile, Zel was enlightened. It was really quite beautiful, especially with the tasseled lamps casting double shadows on the floor. He felt like he was deep in the sea, down where the light barely reaches and things are wondrous and strange... Immersed in blue, surrounded by fish as bright as sparks of fireworks...

"Zelgadiss! Earth to Zelgadiss! Look!" Xelloss excitedly harangued his 'brother.'

When Zel shook himself out of his self-imposed stupor, he was able to see Xelloss' 'catch'–two fish in a large plastic bag; one white, and one black, both shimmering, living iridescence.

"And look, the white one," he pointed, "…has a little black spot...and the black one–"

"Has a white spot. Like a yin yang."

"A yin yang symbol means harmony, balance, between opposing forces of the universe. I think that the young Sumeragi head might appreciate a bit more harmony in his heart. He must be very torn right now."

"What," Zel raised an eyebrow, "do you mean by that?"

But the count just smiled. "Now, since these are such expensive fish, it is customary for us to fill out a contract..."

"And we have to get the fish bowl paraphernalia!" Xelloss piped up.

While Xelloss and the count picked out a proper bowl and filter system to house the pet, Zelgadiss fingered the plastic bag, examining the sparkling fish within. "Maybe I should get Amelia a fish...to cheer her up," he muttered to himself.

"Amelia? Miss Seyruun? Oh, no...not a koi...not...at this time. Fish in the carp family also represent fertility."

Zel blushed.

"Let us consider your dilemma awhile, if you would, then when you return, we'll make a selection. Choosing the wrong pet pleases no one, and they know it...causing the poor things to languish and die."

"Who? The owner or the pet?" Xelloss asked as he picked up a couple more tea cakes.

"Either..._both_...eventually." Count D smiled secretly, then said to Xelloss, "You have quite a sweet tooth also."

Zelgadiss nodded and said, because Xelloss' mouth was stuffed too full to talk for himself, "Yes, he does."

Count D slid his visible eye sideways to gaze upon Zel a moment. "You prefer savouries."

Xelloss swallowed and chuckled, "And here I thought you were more of an _un_savory character, little brother!"

Amelia joined her band Friday afternoon for the job because it was the right thing to do, although her subdued manner betrayed her lack of enthusiasm. Her heart wasn't in it, but she would do 'her very best'. She sat by Lina in the van.

"We'll skip your solo, no big deal. We've got plenty of material. Val told me he and Zel have worked up another Xelloss tear-jerker number if we need something on short notice, so don't go pushin' yourself, okay?" Lina asked.

"Thank you, Miss Lina," Amelia smiled. "I'll be better, but right now...I feel like a little bit of my heart is missing. It hurts right here," she pressed a hand to her chest, "and I'm so tired all the time."

"Stress'll do that to ya," Lina commiserated.

Zelgadiss was seated beside Gourry wondering why Amelia was avoiding him. She had not, in fact, said more than a word to him since their date and absolutely nothing since Alfred's death. Now, rejection was something he was intimately familiar with, but not from Amelia. _Definitely_ not Amelia. He hadn't thought he'd disappointed her on her birthday date; his ego was strong enough to assure him of that, so the problem must lie with Alfred. Alfred. So, he was right all along. Amelia really liked Alfred and not him, for himself. The trouble was...Zelgadiss was now sufficiently aware of girls and their 'charms' that he couldn't just forget the little progress he and Amelia had made. He wanted to try another date, but she wouldn't return his calls, or even his glances. He needed help. He hated that. He hated the fact that he felt he needed to see Amelia. He hated the fact that he needed anyone to be happy. Even more, he hated discussing his personal problems, but he was strangely driven in a way he did not wish to dwell upon to get things back the way they were, or at least the way they were starting to go. "Ah, Gourry?"

"Huh?"

"You talked to Amelia since the, ah...other week?"

"Amelia? No, she's been kinda depressed, Lina said. Haven't you?"

"No." Zel sighed. "I have tried, but...she won't even look me in the eye any more. I guess I must remind her of...him."

"That could be it," Gourry agreed. "But I think she's just sad. It was pretty sudden, the whole thing."

Zel nodded. Right. Sudden. Right, but this wasn't getting him anywhere.

With Rodimus driving, the Slayers were free to talk or sleep. Zolf was driving a new van carrying all their equipment. He had left earlier to lay the cables and setup. This was the first time that the Slayers would simply show up to a concert and play. It felt luxurious.

"Thanks. Excuse me," Zel muttered. He waited until the van stopped at a red light, then moved back to where Val was stretched out along the back seat, snoozing. "Val?"

Grunt.

"So, ah...do you usually have to make the first move? I mean, say a girl was interested, then cooled off, then… do you...should _I_... (sigh)does _she_ expect _me_ to do something?"

Val opened his golden eyes and blinked. "Yer askin' me for advice about...you and the little princess? Shit, Zel, she's been waitin' fer you ta do somethin' fer so long, if ya do, ya might kill 'er. Yeah, fer godssakes do something, just leave me ta sleep."

That was more like it! Zel slipped back into the seat beside Gourry. The van stopped at an intersection, so Zel used the break to move quickly to the bench with Lina and Amelia. He tapped on Lina's arm.

"Gah!" she shouted. "Zel, what are you doing creeping up on me like that! Go back to your seat; the van's moving again."

"Let me sit there."

"Huh? _I'm_ sittin' here."

"Trade seats."

"With whom?"

Zel looked back. Sylphiel had slid in beside Gourry, leaving her seat beside Filia open. Xelloss was seated up front messing with the CD player. "Filia," he suggested.

"Why should I? I'm comfortable here. Filia blocks out the view." Lina hunkered down unwilling to move.

"What if I got Xelloss to move, would you go up front? You could put on that new CD you've been telling us about."

"Yeah..." Lina smiled. "I might."

"Fine. Give me a second to move Xelloss." Zel crawled between the seats, hanging onto an arm as the van took a corner.

"Hey! How about you moving to another seat," Zel said to his friend.

Xelloss cocked his head downwards. "Why? I like it here."

Zel sighed, "I want to...change seats and Lina would like to sit here."

Xelloss twisted around and studied the problem. "Sit with Filia."

"I don't want to sit with Filia. I want...Lina to move."

"You want...to sit with Amelia? But Lina won't move unless she gets my seat? I see, so you would like me to give up my front seat to go sit next to...the dragon girl, so you can sit by..."

Zel cut off Xelloss' speech. "Yes," he hissed. "So move."

Xelloss smiled slyly. "I shall have to exact a price."

"What?" Zel bit off the word.

Xelloss leaned over and whispered into his ear, then straightened.

Zel glared at him a moment, "All right."

Xelloss grinned then unfolded his legs. He waited, poised at the ready, until the van braked, and then he squeezed past Zel and took the open seat by Filia. "Hi."

"You? Why you?" she asked.

"A favor for Zelgadiss. He wants a little private time with Amelia," Xelloss whispered to her.

Filia's eyes softened and she cast a quick look over her shoulder at Zel steadying Lina as the van began to move again. "Okay, for Zel. Just shut up."

Xelloss crimped up his nose and stuck out his tongue, but said nothing.

"You're so immature."

"Bitch..." he said under his breath.

"What did you call me?" her voice rose to a near shriek.

"For gods'sakes you guys, _stifle_ it!" Lina yelled, punching Xelloss hard in the arm as she scooted past. "We're in a car, ya know."

"Owww," he moaned, rubbing his sore arm. "That really hurts! I wasn't even talking!"

Lina settled into her new seat. "Yeah," she grinned. "I know, but you are now."

"I don't think Ill be able to play drums now," he moaned and sunk down in his seat, clutching his arm pathetically.

Filia arched her eyebrow, "Poor baby."

His form didn't move, though. "Xelly, you're not really hurt. You're just kidding 'round, right?" Filia asked with growing concern.

He shook his head. "I-I don't know. I can't move my fingers. Is that bad...Fil-ly?"

Filia turned all her attention to Xelloss. "Bad? Yes, it might be broken. LINA! You may have broken Xelly's arm!"

Lina was immersed in her pile of CDs and ignored them all.

"Here, sit up and let me have a look. I have some of that salve in my bag. If it's just muscular, it'll help." Filia nudged Xelloss to raise his head. "Let me have a look."

"I don't know," he whined. "It hurts. Don't touch it."

"I _have_ to touch it. Take off your coat. Here, let me help... Now where? Can you bend at the elbow so we can take off that shirt? Only this arm!" Filia punctuated her demand with a slap.

"Ouch! Filia!" Xelloss winced.

"Oh, yeah, sorry 'bout that. It's just so natural somehow for me to want to hit you. Now bend...slowly... Well, if you have that much mobility, I don't think it's broken. I don't see any bruising along these muscles..."

"It's tingly," he said in a small voice.

"Pinched nerve," Filia said with conviction. She rubbed over his upper arm following the lines of each muscle, checking for abnormalities. "_You_ have been working out again. You told me the other day that you hadn't been to the dojo lately."

She began to warm a little of the ointment in her hands, then rubbed it gently, but firmly, into his skin.

"That's right," he sighed and leaned back. That sure felt good. "I stopped by yesterday and worked out with a few guys. I was slow. I let one guy inside and blocked a kick to my head with my arm. I should have hopped out of range."

"You should have taken it on the head," Filia quipped. "The arm's more important."

"Thanks," he chuckled. "Wow, that feels better already. How long will it last?"

"If you stay out of Lina's way, the one treatment should be enough," Filia said as she put away the jar of salve. "But if you start to stiffen up? -- especially after the break tonight, then let me know and I'll treat it again." She met his eyes. "What's with the dopey look?"

"Nothing." He looked away as he slid his arm back into the sleeve, moving stiffly, but without flinching.

Filia didn't buy that. She watched him until his eyes looked askance and she trapped him. "How's _she_ getting there tonight?"

He jerked upright in his seat. "Who? Oh...Candy? Nuriko and John are driving both Candy and Nahga to the concert." Xelloss closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the seat.

"I figured that's who you were thinking about."

"Really? Well, you thought wrong. I wasn't thinking about any one, not a _girl _anyway."

"Impossible. And why _Nahga_?" Filia asked.

"That's...a secret," Xelloss winked, and then added quickly, "She lived in Sairaag a year, so maybe she has friends to visit. May-bee, she wants to be a supportive big sister for a change."

"So, you gonna marry her? And, no, I don't mean Naaah-ga!"

Xelloss just stared a moment. "I don't know. We've hardly dated more than a few weeks, Filia. But I know one thing I like about being with her. She never hurts me or insults me. She always makes me feel, well... special."

"Humph!" Filia sniffed. "She doesn't know you either. She just gets off on your looks or the rock-band thing."

"No, that's _not_ true. That's yourself that you are confusing her with."

"_Hardly_, but at least I know you and what you are. She just thinks you're some nice, intelligent, drummer boy to replace her last boyfriend with."

Xelloss' mouth drew into a line, his eyes hardened into purple slits. "That's bullshit. You don't know anything about her...or us."

"I know she saw _Kerel_ over Thanksgiving break, when we were off recording. He's at some college in Atlas city, I think, and went back home for the weekend and saw her. They went out to a movie, because some friends of mine saw them."

Xelloss stopped breathing. "I don't _believe_ that, but even if it was true, so what? They were once neighbors, big deal. I knew that. I wasn't around and maybe he was. _So what_? She trusts me when I'm gone lots and I trust her, too."

"_Fine_ then. I _just_ was being a friend and letting you know. _That's_ all. You don't have to get all _huffy_ about it." Filia turned her back to him and stared out the window. She hated it when he made her feel so insignificant.

Xelloss crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes again. He hated it when she toyed with his insecurities.

Meanwhile, Zelgadiss had settled into his hard-bought seat beside Amelia. "Hi," he said staring at her face anticipating a pleasant response. He had gone to a lot of trouble to sit by her. She'd notice and appreciate that certainly!

"Oh, hi, Zelgadiss," she said listlessly. "I didn't know you were sitting there."

"I, ah...traded with Lina." He hesitated, waiting for her to start a topic of conversation. Things weren't moving along as smoothly as he'd expected.

She didn't have a thing to say to him. He guessed it would be up to him, then to start the conversation.

"Do you have a lot of homework to...catch up with the work you missed last week?" Gods, that was stupid. Who cares about that? He started to get sweaty palms.

"Some, not much," Amelia sighed.

Well, what now? What was she expecting him to say now? Or do? Zel rubbed his hands on his pants. This was stupid. Why was he so nervous?

Amelia closed her eyes. The last couple of weeks had been a tumultuous series of emotional trials. The excitement of recording their first CD, being mobbed and chased by fans, her first date out alone with Zelgadiss under the stars...um...clouds and the nice new feelings...then the horror of returning home! Thinking that her father was dying, having to face those reporters, then those awful syndicate people! They ripped her father away from her then threatened her friends and herself. Then they...then they...they...killed...

Zelgadiss struggled. He watched her face, her eyes closed. What now? Why couldn't he read her? Does she want me to go away? No, she didn't say that. She didn't say much at all. Maybe she wants me to do something. Does she expect me to kiss her? Here in the van? Now? Not now...not here... Well, maybe so...

He moved closer so that their shoulders touched. He could feel the heat of her body and the faint scent of her perfume was light and sweet...distracting. His heart was thumping so hard in his chest he was certain that she could hear it. He sure could. His hands were trembling now, he noticed, as he raised a finger to brush way a few black hairs clinging to her lips. Gods, was he going crazy? Right that minute all he could think about were those lips, slightly parted...waiting. No, now what? No, were those tears? Was he making her cry? Without thinking, he brushed away the tear threatening to escape her lashes and trickle down her cheek. He bent forward, bringing his lips nearly in contact with hers, when...

"Alfred..." The name passed her lips and her eyes opened.

Zelgadiss lurched back as if poisoned. _Alfred_? **_Alfred_**!

"Zelgadiss? What?" Amelia straightened. He was still close with a hand retreating from her shoulder.

He looked so sad; it broke her already breaking heart. Zelgadiss must have understood her grief and he had come to comfort her, she decided. "Oh, Zelgadiss," she cried.

But he was backing away, a mass of confusion. Had she been thinking of Alfred? Had she opened her eyes and thought he was Alfred for an instant? Zelgadiss felt a pain shoot across his chest and a flash of ice, then heat spread through his body. Panic, anguish.

He had only moved an inch before his empty arms were suddenly filled with a warm, shaking girl. "Oh...Zelgadiss..." A shaking, damp girl. "Oh...I knew you'd understand...how...how...awful..." Damp with tears, now pouring from her eyes and into his shirt, "...it's been for me...I-I haven't been able to...to...even say his name until n-now."

Lucky him. Zel slowly enclosed her with his arms, his stiff posture, freeing up, softening as her grief flowed from her heart, melting his own. She hadn't wanted his caresses, but his caring. She just wanted to cry, not kiss. This wasn't his best skill, but he couldn't just up and leave her now.

"Losing a cousin...to the syndicate... To...to fall from justice. Maybe...maybe he's better off being...d-dead..." She erupted into another round of tears, drenching Zel in a salt-wash.

"You were close, weren't you?" he asked in a low, soft voice, the gentlest tone he could muster.

"Y-yes...I had dreamed of marrying him..."

Zel's heart skipped a beat for sure as another frigid lance pierced it.

"...when I was ten or so. Maybe younger because we'd play house together sometimes. He was really like a big brother. I-I'm going to m-miss him so much..." Her voice trailed off as she buried her face in Zel's hard shoulder. "I-I'm so lucky to have you..."

"Me?" he croaked. He was trying to understand her halting speech, but wasn't sure if she was thinking of him as a brother or a boyfriend. "Like a b-brother?"

"Yes, he was like a brother all grown up and going to a boarding school far away. I realized how different my feelings were for him, when I met you. Oh, not at first, I thought you were a bit creepy, and I'm not talking about how you looked either! I meant the way you acted. But before long, I could tell that there was really a nice person ready to burst out of that shell."

"Ah..." He started to say, but halted. He was so confused. So many different feelings and thoughts were colliding in his head. In the end, he decided that he'd just been complimented.

"See? Just talking with you here and I feel so much better," she assured him.

"You do?"

"Uh,huh. Now, are you comfy? I'm comfy, all snuggly and warm and safe."

Zelgadiss thought about that. She was nice and soft, but a bit heavy and his shirt had this growing wet spot on the front. Then he imagined how they must look to the others. Great. He flushed beet red. What could he do? "Ah, maybe we could...you know..." He tried to readjust her weight on his leg, which was falling asleep. He thought that she might sit in her own seat now and let him sit in his...put a bit of distance between them. Unfortunately, that wasn't the message she was getting. She thought he was groping her, in front of her friends!

Her eyes went wide and she shoved him away. "Zelgadiss! I don't know what...I mean...I don't think I'm ready for...um..."

They both untangled themselves and blushing feverishly, exchanged fervent 'sorrys'. Gods, what had just happened! Zelgadiss looked around, desperate for some way out of this mess, and caught Xelloss' eye, and Gourry's. He was not alone.

Xelloss looked about as happy as a wet cat, and Gourry; he looked like the something that poor wet cat dragged in.

Gourry had just watched Zelgadiss get out of his seat and disappear into the back of the van, out of sight. He found that if he slunk low in his seat, he could stretch out his legs under the seat in front of him and be fairly comfortable. He was nearly asleep, when a shy giggle to the left and above roused his awareness. "Sylphiel?"he drawled.

"Uh, huh," she smiled down at him.

He slowly pushed himself back into an upright position and looked around for Zel. Zel was chatting up Lina...no, he was crawling up to the front of the van. Why wasn't Zel sitting beside him? Why was Sylphiel? "Whatcher doin'?" he asked, dropping the 'here' because he thought that sounded too rude.

"Well, I noticed that this seat was empty and Filia wanted the window seat so she and I traded places then I got this one. Pretty smart, huh? Anyway I have been so busy, you know, like... lately, that I haven't had a chance to hear all the juicy details about the thingy at the mayor's. Amelia's really been bent out of shape, I mean, who wouldn't, ya know? Was Alfred really cute like she'd said? That must have been really awful, I mean, it's easier if the bad guys are ugly, I think, don't you?" Sylphiel stopped to take a breath.

"Um...ah...I guess so...Bad is bad. Don't really matter what they look like, though. 'Cept..." Gourry paused to breathe.

"Except what?" she begged.

"Alfred looked like Zel if Zel had never been in that accident. Same size an' everything."

"The same incredibly beautiful blue eyes?" Hers grew to nearly impossible size.

"Oh, um...ah...no. Gray-like, I think. I don't remember. Black hair, though. Zel's used ta be dark brown, I think...or maybe that was that girl who used ta sit in front of me." Gourry scratched his head, which caused his arm to rub against something in his jacket pocket. "I wonder...?" he mumbled and pulled a couple of tickets out of the pocket.

"Ooooo, what are those for? The TM Revolution concert!" She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Oh, I'd love to go with you. Yes...yes! Is that for tomorrow night? I think I have a football game...but...doesn't matter, I'll go...yes! Oh, this'll be so terrific! I just bought this new sweater..."

Gourry's face fell. He had been planning to ask Lina. Lina would have loved to go, he knew, but now...what could he say? Could he tell Sylphiel that the tickets weren't meant for her? That he was wanting to take Lina? She sure was acting like she wanted to go. She would be hurt if he told her that it was a mistake on her part. And, he hadn't yet asked Lina. Maybe she couldn't go after all... Well, it was too late to change things now. He'd have to show Sylphiel a good time.

Gourry ran a hand through his hair, brushing the thick fringe of bangs out of his eyes. Ah...oh...well. His eyes caught a glimpse of Xelloss putting his shirt back on. What was up with him? He and Filia didn't look to be getting along too badly. Ohhh… Said _that_ too soon...poor Xelloss.

Gourry looked over Sylphiel's head over toward Zel and Amelia. Whoa, Zel sure had his hands full over there. Amelia needed a shoulder to cry on. Zel's not too good at that, but...guess he's got stuck.

Gourry linked eyes and minds with Zelgadiss a moment. "A man's gotta do, whatta man's gotta do," he told him.

Zel sighed, "Oh...joy..."

They arrived in Sairaag driving the main road that wound around the crater that had once been Old Sairaag. Sylphiel grew quiet, pensive even and clung to Gourry's sleeve.

"Somethin' wrong?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I-I hadn't been back for along time." To his confused expression, she continued to explain further. "This is where both my mother and father died, when...the Red Priest destroyed the city's shrine."

"Oh, ah...yeah...I forgot that...I, ah...um...I'm sorry. Do you remember much?" Gourry asked kindly.

"Not much, thankfully. Oh, look, Gourry! There's the concert hall! Look at all the people lined up! Lina! Lina! Do you see it! Look at all the people!" Sylphiel squealed.

A sea of humanity flowed around and around the hall. Boys and girls. They were waiting to get in to see and hear the newest rising stars, the Slayers, come to town. Rodimus swore under his breath and pulled out his cell phone. "Zolf? We might have a problem here."

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 27.


	28. The 'On Acid' Chapter

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 28 **

**The _ON_ _ACID _Chapter**

Note: Count D belongs to Matusuri Akino, PetShop of Horrors, TokyoPop; Dee, Ryo, Bikky and Carol belong to Sanami Matoh, FAKE, TokyoPop.

_"No girl should ever see her boyfriend wearin' a dress and lookin' prettier than her," Val remarked caustically. _

* * *

Detective Ryo Maclean glared at his obstinate partner. "If you had turned in those reports on time, you wouldn't be here...I wouldn't be here, so I don't want to hear another complaint...not another word out of you!"

His partner, handsome, dark-haired, Dee Laytner, wanted to argue, but he knew that Ryo was maddeningly correct. He usually was, too. Correct, neat, orderly, sexy...

Dee was not... correct, neat, and orderly, that is. He was not a by-the-book kind of cop either, which had gotten them both into hot water with their chief. Now, the two men, partners both professionally and on their off-time, had security duty for a concert in Sairaag.

"I just meant that this is a real step down. I mean, we belong on the heels of some homicide culprit--not standing around playin' watchdog to a bunch of spoiled teeny-boppers!" Dee snuffed out his cigarette with his heel. "Sorry..."

That apology had cost him, and Ryo knew it. Ryo's dark brown eyes softened. He couldn't be mad at his lover for long, not after he had admitted his responsibility for their predicament. He smiled and placed a gentle hand on Dee's sleeve. "Getting Bikky those tickets and letting him invite Carol along tonight has made you the hero of the hour, you know. They had wanted to see the Slayers this summer when they played at the county fair. Remember? We were on that surveillance assignment and they had to miss it."

Dee's green eyes slid sideways. At least he'd made Ryo's adopted kid happy, well...his kid too, now. Then he looked up and was caught in Ryo's gaze. Ryo was nearly beautiful with those golden brown waves of hair framing his perfect face, belaying his Asian heritage, and when he smiled, like right now, Dee felt his heart flutter. Okay, he'd have to make it up to Ryo, later. "Yeah, well...I wish I'd brought earplugs, that's all I gotta say."

"You'll be fine. I understand the band's quite good, even if they are loud. Just a second, let me take this call. Yes, Detective Maclean speaking. The band is on its way. I got it. Can you talk to them? Good, then tell them to get down, out of sight below the van windows and have the driver go around the block to the underground parking entrance. Yes, the one that's blocked off. There's an officer there who will wave them in. From there, they can use the tunnel directly into the backstage entrance. Right. Let me know if there's any trouble. My partner and I are here out front directing the other officers for mob control."

A short time later, as the heavy mist turned to drizzle, Dee grunted. "They're lettin' in the crowd now. Hope Bikky and Carol get in all right."

Ryo smiled, "I knew you cared about the kids. Come on, looks like we're needed at the entrance now."

The entrance, where a small disturbance was flaring up...

"I AM with the band, or should be gettin' ready right now. Ya gotta let me in!" A skinny guy with platinum blonde hair cut in a strange pageboy style was trying to push his way past the door guards.

"You really should listen to him, officer. His name is 'Joey'. Just send someone in and ask for Gourry. This is his brother and a stand-in for the drummer," said a tall, mild-mannered woman, also blonde and obviously the boy's mother. "It won't take but a moment of your time, please."

But it was hopeless. Too many other kids had pulled similar stunts to fool these officers. But, there in the line were two other kids who thought that they recognized Joey.

"Joey? Joey Gabriev? Yeah...I know you! Hey, dude, man...officer! This is who he says he is! Let him in!" The two kids cried out. One, a boy about Joey's age but brown-skinned with gold hair, the other, a girl with wavy brown hair and a loud voice.

Joey turned to the kids attempting to help him, "Ah...Bikky, right? Soccer?"

Bikky grinned, "That's right. I my team blew your team outta the water last week. 'Course, we got slammed the next day so we're outta the finals too. Just as well 'cause I got basketball now."

"Yeah, my stupid brother forgot my games were done and didn't get me up for the van," Joey groused. "Now I don't know how I'm gonna get in!"

Bikky grinned widened. "You really do play with the band? Cool... so...ah...I gotta idea." He looked around, noting where Dee and Ryo were standing, and then let out a howl. "Ooooww!" He bent double and cried out more.

"Joey! What's wrong with that boy you were talking to!" his mother asked with concern. "You know him? Dear, what's wrong? Can we help you?" Mrs. Gabriev stood and called to the door guard. "Can you call for assistance, please? Let us in so we can let him lie down!"

"Now, ma'am, we can't do that..."

"Oooow Owooo!"

Ryo was first to reach his adopted son's side, "Bikky? Bikky! What happened?"

"We don't know," Mrs. Gabriev answered. "He was speaking to my son, then clutched his stomach. It was very sudden."

Ryo nodded. "Come on, let's get him inside."

So the Gabriev's followed Bikky, his girlfriend Carol, Ryo and eventually Dee into the concert hall. The moment Ryo set Bikky down, the boy broke into a run, yelling "Come on, Joey, follow me!"

"Why you little..."Dee grumbled and set off after the wayward boys.

Bikky sped past the main doors making for the stage area with Joey at his heels, "Gou-reeee! Leeeeeeee-na! Xel-lossss!" Joey screamed.

Zolf was stringing the last of the cables. Rodimus had only just arrived to setup the sound mixer after leaving the Slayers in wardrobe back stage. They both looked up when the noisy boys entered. "Whoa! What have we got here!" Zolf shouted.

"I-It's me! Joey...ah...Gourry's brother!" Joey panted as he reached the stage. "Where is he?"

"Backstage getting dressed. Wanna hand up?" Zolf offered first Joey, then Bikky, a hand. "And you are...?"

"That's Bikky. Friend of mine," Joey answered in that 13-year-old way of practically ignoring adults and the world not of immediate interest to them. "Oh...and that's...my mom and..." Joey looked askance at Bikky to fill in the names of the others thundering into the hall.

"Hurry up!" Bikky shouted. He leaned down and pulled up the tough-as-nails girl he'd brought to the concert. "This is Carol and those are...my dads...Ryo and stupid Dee."

Zolf figured the adults would be hot under the collar for awhile. "Rodimus? Take these kids back to see the others, okay? I'll speak to their parents."

So, while the kids disappeared backstage with Rodimus, the handsome Zolf turned on the charm to calm down the 'rents'. That was _'dads…'_ plural? "Hello! You must be Gourry and Joey's big sister, right?"

Mrs. Gabriev blushed. "_Mother_."

As Ryo and Dee surrounded them, she explained why she was here in Sairaag and not home doing the laundry. "...and so, Gourry probably just forgot that Joey was free to play this time. I'm so sorry to be so much trouble, officers."

Ryo looked past the stage hoping to catch a glimpse of the boys. "I'm afraid we brought along our own bundle of trouble."

Dee clenched his teeth; his green eyes narrowed, "That kid's gonna be the death of me...he's nothin' but trouble."

"Kind of like you," Ryo said with a sparkle in his dark brown eyes.

Zolf pointed off to the side. "There's some stairs. Come on up and I'll introduce you to the gang. Oh, I'm the road and stage manager, Zolf, and your boys just took off with the sound man, Rodimus."

Mrs. Gabriev climbed up and shook his hand, "Gourry was relieved to relinquish the driving duties, Mr. Zolf. I think that trip to Zephillia where they had to lug around all that equipment for the first time was tough on him. That's where they met you, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am. It was fortunate for all of us. Now, this way please."

Meanwhile, Rodimus knocked on the boys' dressing room, "Gotta minute?"

Xelloss opened the door. "Yes? Oh! Joey? What a surprise! And you've brought...friends? Oh… and here comes Mrs. Gabriev! I thought you had a soccer game, Joey?"

He stepped aside and shouted to the other guys, "You all decent? Company!" He sought out Gourry and pulled him aside. "I think your little _bro _is pissed off."

Gourry rubbed his temples with a big hand. "Ah..." He was not adept at disappearing. Perhaps it was due to his height or personality or maybe he just didn't have that magic touch. Whatever the reason, he simply stood his ground and waited. To his surprise, Xelloss stepped up and screened him from Joey's outrage.

"I think we should upgrade these peoples' seats. Don't you, Joey? " Xelloss offered. Turning his attention to the kids by his side, he continued, "We have some other friends coming. Would you like to sit with them?"

Bikky squinted, "Who're they?"

"Bikky! That's not polite!" Ryo admonished him.

Xelloss smiled, "Ah, one of them is Nuriko. You know the Su..."

"Suzaku Seven!" squealed Carol excitedly. "We're gonna sit with him! Ooooh, he's so cool!"

Bikky frowned, "Do I know that guy?"

Carol whispered in his ear and the boy blushed, darkening his already dark skin. "Oh..." He looked up at Xelloss. "He your boyfriend?"

Xelloss' eyebrows shot up, "No! He and someone else are accompanying my girlfriend and another lady tonight." To Gourry's mother he asked. "Would you like to stay? Nice... ah...Zolf? Can you take care of seating for Mrs. Gabriev and..."

"Bikky...and this is MY girlfriend, Carol!"

"Nice to meet you," Xelloss smiled and gallantly kissed the girl's hand. "Excuse me now; I'd better let Lina know about the change to the line up."

Carol nearly fainted. "I'll never wash this hand..."

"I'm gonna be sick..." Bikky moaned. "Fer _real_ this time!"

Val jingle-jangled over, his hair newly gelled into pale green spikes. "Mis-sus Gabriev, what a plea-ant surprise tonight."

"Hello, Val. Aren't you glittery tonight!" she smiled.

"Yeah, polished the silver last night," he joked.

"I know you," Dee spoke up. "Detective Laytner, if you don't recall my name. You, I arrested you...one of the Gaav kids, on more than one occasion."

Val crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. He loomed a few inches over everyone in the room, except Gourry. "Past is past. Gaav's dead and I'm Val Agares now...with no record. You can look it up."

The two men with street smarts and checkered pasts traded glares.

"Dee...DEE! Settle down." Ryo turned his attention to the newest arrival from the dressing room depths. Involuntarily, the sensitive man placed a hand to his open mouth.

Zelgadiss tried to ignore the reaction as his fixed the final fastener on his armband. "Mrs. Gabriev? You might want to wear these earplugs. It's all right. I carry plenty of spares around."

Dee stepped in front of his silent partner. "You got more of those? Uh...I'm Detective Dee Laytner, and this is...my partner Detective Ryo Maclean."

Zelgadiss nodded and dug deep into his pocket. "Here's one pair. I have more in my bag., Just a minute..." He agilely wended his way through the small crowd to find another pair of earplugs, and then wound his way back. "Detective? "

Ryo blushed red. "Forgive me for staring. Please, I'm not usually so rude, but...I can't believe that it's possible but...about five years ago...maybe more...I was new on the force in Seyruun. And I received a call to a home of a university professor...where an explosion had..."

"It's me. I was the kid that nearly died. Instead, I'm here and putting my strange appearance to work."

"That's only part of the story!" Xelloss had returned and was ready to contribute to the conversation. "It's that amazing elven healing ability of his. You don't believe me? Check out those ears and his hair is wire!"

Zelgadiss, used to this kind of talk from his best friend, simply blushed and muttered something under his breath. Ryo stepped closer. "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you this way. I am truly pleased to find that you survived that blast. When I pulled you out, no one believed that you were alive, but I found your pulse. Right here." Ryo touched Zel's right wrist.

Zel nodded and pulled back his sleeve. "It's relatively untouched around this hand." He looked up into the sorrowful eyes of the detective. "I guess I owe you a debt of gratitude. My father was ready to call me dead at the time."

Dee closed in. "Your..._father_? I remembered grandf…er…don't matter. You must be the Greywords kid then? Geesh, and I thought it was all stage makeup you kids wore…"

Xelloss answered with a flourish, "Zelgadiss Greywords, my little _brother_."

Ryo looked on quizzically. "I didn't know you had a brother..."

Zel sighed, "I didn't. Xelloss is a...was a stepbrother when his mother married my father last year..."

Ryo's turn to gasp as Dee asked, "Xelloss...Metallium? Your mother was ...uh...died a few months ago, that one...Your house burned down..."

Dee stopped him. "JJ was with the arresting officer last year in some school bell tower. That wasn't you two...?"

Xelloss nodded. "Bing-go!"

"Then you're...no..." Ryo shook his head.

Xelloss smiled and ran a hand through his hair, brushing a few errant strands to the side. "Probably I am. Dubois was my second stepfather, after Gaav, Val's Gaav. See? Aren't we a cozy little band? Oh oh... here comes our fearless leader, the incomparable, the lovely, the...what was that you called her for the musical? Oh yeah, the Sorceress Supreme, Lina Inverse!"

Lina's entrance put an end to the detectives' recollections down the Slayers nightmare-memory lanes. It also washed all 'big, bad brother' thoughts clean out of little Joey's head. Lina could do that to people.

"What's going on here? Why all the people back here? Joey! Right, wanna go on out and check the setup on the drums? Who are all these people? Oh, Mrs. Gabriev, you hadta bring Joey? Sorry 'bout that. Next time I'll call 'im myself."

While Dee and Ryo introduced themselves as the officers in charge of security that evening, Gourry started to say something, but Xelloss held him back this time. "Hey, you tried, didn't you?"

Gourry looked down at Xelloss. Should he admit to trying to keep him and Lina from performing that song/dance number? He certainly seemed to be trying to mend their friendship. "I didn't think Candy would appreciate...the timing wasn't so great fer..."

Xelloss shook his head, "I agree, and I meant that-- thanks for trying."

"Then you'll be...tonin' it down some?"

Xelloss smiled, "What would Lina think?"

Gourry frowned a bit in thought. "I guess ya can't, huh?"

"No, but...I can keep my professional distance." Xelloss shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'whatever that means.'

"'Preciate it," Gourry grumbled. "Hey, Mom? Time to go. We're gonna tune up so you can find yer new seats, 'kay?"

The concert was simply an amazing experience for the audience and for the Slayers. 1500 kids were already squirming in their seats, with nearly that many more waiting in lines yet to come in. By start time, the hall was filled to capacity, the noise level rising with the temperature inside.

"We don't need any warm up band tonight!" Lina shouted to the crowd amid screams. "You guys sound hot already! Yeah! Right! So...no matter what...Ya know what I mean? Never give up!"

And she launched into the first number of the evening, then the next, then another few before cooling it down with Zel's soul-searching numbers and Filia's haunting solo.

They were dressed in costumes which could only be labeled as punk-pirate. The girls all wore striped tights in differing colors, loose, low-cut peasant-type blouses and either black short-shorts or short skirts. Filia added a black leather vest and Lina sported an enormous feathered pirate captain's hat and long red jacket with gleaming gold buttons. Val had found a black and white striped bandana, which he tied around his head instead of his plain black one. Besides that, he stuck with his customary black leather vest and pants, with plenty of shining silver chains. Oh, he had found a pair of large gold hoop earrings, one of which he was wearing and the other he gave to Zelgadiss. Zelgadiss wore his ivory-colored poet's shirt tied loosely with a long red sash which draped down and trailed alongside his black leather pants, typically low-key. Gourry was flashier in his long-legged striped pants, shimmering red satin shirt visible beneath his black leather vest and studded belt. The single unifying element– they all wore knee-high black leather boots. These were part of the costume design of Zel's, so they all went out and bought the boots and made them a part of the band's costuming as well.

Gourry's rocker, Val's solo, Amelia's...Lina and Gourry sang a duet, and then she introduced Joey for her routine with Xelloss. She liked to close out the first part with that before going to break.

"Ready?" she whispered to Xelloss while Joey was getting in place.

"Yes. You? We haven't practiced in a long time." he reminded her. His costume was a copy of Zel's, except his shirt was black. He adjusted his sash to the side.

"Don't need to. We're too good a team." Lina gave him a smug grin, ripped off her hat, and sent it sailing into Amelia's outstretched arms. Next, she slipped out of the heavy jacket and tossed it onto the floor where Sylphiel scooped it up. Cooler and freer to move, she then nodded to Joey to cut the bum-da-dum stripper drum roll and to begin the 'Sexy, Sexy' introduction.

Xelloss had not been in close contact with Lina for some time, and, true, as the song proceeded, they sang and danced flawlessly, but the moment she touched his arm he was electrified. When he locked eyes with her, sparks flew. It was the most intense experience he had ever felt, and it showed. Adding to his natural attraction to Lina was his body's current lack of medication. He always laid off the ADD meds the day of a performance. He needed to feel the intensity of the crowd and let if flow through and energize him to play in the fevered tempo that the Slayers favored for most of their music, Lina's songs in particular. The burnout following a performance would bring him down hard, but it was worth it. He figured that he was making the most out of his condition, which brought him grief in his day-to-day life, but remarkable levels of energy, creativity, and stamina when his mental state demanded it. Although it made him appear unpredictable and goofy at times, it also gave him an edge, if he learned to funnel all that chaos correctly.

Like right now, for instance. The audience was brought to its feet, so caught up were they in the passionate frenzy. It was more than Xelloss' limited self-control could take. He slipped up a tiny bit. At the end, he finished by planting a major kiss upon Miss Lina's upturned lips. The audience went wild. Lina pushed him off and took hold of the microphone. "Take a break. We'll be back in fifteen!"

Sitting in the front, reserved, box seats, Nahga was carrying on about how 'made for each other' Lina and Xelloss had appeared. With a well-placed nudge, Nuriko directed her attention to the look of dismay painted across the face of Xelloss' girlfriend. "Aw, it's all an act, ya know! Why, they're great in the acting department, and I should know, I've been to one of their plays...Shakespeare, if you can believe that! Besides, she's already got at least one boyfriend, that tall blonde hunk with the guitar, and he has...well you! Oh ho ho ho hooooo!"

But Candy wasn't so sure. She hadn't known Xelloss long and in that time he always seemed wrapped up in the band and its personnel. Maybe Lina was the reason. But if that were true, why had he invited her along to hear and see them? See... that dance. She didn't know he could dance, although he had told her that he wanted to take her dancing sometime. Nahga, that girl, was probably right about the act. This was one big performance for them all. Yes, it was all about entertaining the paying customers. Still, it made Candy uneasy. She wished Xelloss would come out and say hi to her, but she knew that wasn't possible.

Mrs. Gabriev took exception to Nahga's statement. "I'm afraid Gourry hasn't a girlfriend right now, dear. Lately, however, he has been seeing that pretty girl, Sylphiel. I do have to agree, though," the woman smiled kindly at Candy, "That was all an act. Joey told me that when they practiced the dancing, there was no romance involved, just business. Besides, Lina really isn't his type at all. So, Candy, you must be that wonderful young lady I've heard so much about. Gourry's told me Xelloss talks about you all the time. You go to the university?"

Candy brightened at this news and soon fell into a comfortable conversation about college life with Gourry's mother. Nuriko and John relaxed now **that** that issue was resolved and spoke quietly to one another.

Their quiet tete-de-tete was interrupted by the younger Carol's curious stares. "Are we ignoring you? Sorry," Nuriko smiled.

"So how do you guys know the Slayers?" Carol asked.

John spoke up first. "I met Xelloss at the university, at the student residence where Candy lives."

"And my band toured with them last summer," Nuriko answered.

That began a very funny and long retelling of some of the tour highlights, none of which Mrs. Gabriev had heard before and all of which were extremely entertaining.

Just before the young Bikky's jealousy got the better of him, Carol turned all her attention on him and said, "You never told me about all these rock star connections of yours. You are so full of surprises! This has been the best date ever!" She marked him with a quick kiss of her own, making him blush for the second time that day, but certainly making it the best one that he could remember!

In no time the break was over, the lights dimming, and the show was about to start its second half.

All hell did cut loose that day when the entertainment was over and the crowd wanted a piece of their favorite band member. Talk about 'tough love'!

While Dee and Ryo concerned themselves with the officers controlling the crowds and Zolf and Rodimus dealt with the equipment, the Slayers huddled backstage wondering what to do next. Big-name acts, world-renowned stars, have planned escape-routes, but The Slayers hadn't even considered going to such measures. But now they couldn't just leave, the place was surrounded!

Xelloss and Val were laughing about it, clearly excited to have reached 'star status' at such an early age. Joey bounced from Xelloss to Zelgadiss, trying to be both cool about everything and boyishly thrilled at the same time. Cute, very cute. Sylphiel and Amelia were effervescent, their giggles bubbling over and soon, infecting even Filia, who for some reason was in a somber mood. Gourry was pretty pleased, all around, with the whole performance. He had busied himself with his instrument during the intense dance moments of 'that number' and so had missed the kiss. And since Lina was not punched out Xelloss' lights yet, Gourry figured he'd kept that 'professional distance' he'd talked so much about. Zelgadiss was keeping one eye on Lina and the other on Xelloss, when he wasn't distracted, with good excuse, by Amelia's breathless exhilaration. Lina was like a dynamo, generating excitement as she spun between the Xelloss/Val group and the Sylphiel/Amelia one. A real, palpable energy could have been detected, if one had the proper tools; an energy flowing in a current of growing intensity around and around the room of charged up teenagers.

Once the two detectives had seen to the band's immediate safety, they began to think about their other charges. "What's going to happen to Bikky and Carol out there?" Ryo wondered aloud.

"I'm wondering more about us..." Dee said through gritted teeth. "Oh, all right. Let's go see where the kids have gotten off to."

They found the two kids with Mrs. Gabriev and the other three friends, pressed up near the stage, against the outer wall.

Zolf saw the problem and remembered and old trick from the past. He connected a few wires, crossed them, and blew a fuse with a bang and a lot of smoke. Dee and Ryo used the diversion to heft the kids and adults onto the stage, and push them past the smoke screen to the back. With a lot of effort, and a little of Zolf's stage magic, kids and adults were whisked backstage to safety.

Seeing the detectives returning with their 'guests' looking pale and drawn, brought Lina back to reality. "Okay," Lina began. "We gotta few problems. We got folks out there to clear outta the building, which is going okay, right guys?"

Dee, nodding from his cell phone, indicated 'affirmative'.

"Right. Then, we got a few thousand dollars of equipment to pack up and get on the road to Seyruun."

"No problem there, Miss Lina," Zolf assured her. "It can be stored here overnight with Rodimus, me or both of us guarding it, if need be, although, I think we'll be able to drive it out in an hour or so. The problem is you kids."

"The problem includes Gourry's mother and our other friends here," Lina argued. "We wanna know that they're safe too."

Xelloss exchanged looks with Zelgadiss. Zelgadiss stood up, indicating he had something to say, while Xelloss punched a number into his cell phone. "Lina? Ah, we have an...idea to get us out of here." He pointed straight up with a finger.

"UP? What? You want me to fly out or something?" Lina asked.

"Yes," Zel said curtly.

Xelloss put away his phone and slammed his hand against the top of a small table hard enough to splinter it. "Damn! My next purchase will be a helicopter of my own. Maybe an aerie of them," he bit off in anger. Things like this had always gone smoothly in the past, of course, he'd been dealing with the syndicate, back then.

Mrs. Gabriev, who had only seen the slightly goofy, overly polite side of Xelloss, started in surprise at his sudden temper. Candy and John were clearly uncomfortable following the outburst. Even Candy's meager understanding of Xelloss' ADD condition led her wonder if it made him unbalanced.

"A hanger full of helicopters, I believe, is the correct terminology you're searching for," Zelgadiss said dryly.

John laughed, "Right..."

Xelloss stared at him. Of course, that was part of his secret life. He was slipping. Just how aware Xelloss was of the turmoil his actions could bring, was unclear. He looked down, covering his face with his bangs a moment, and then smiled. "A man can have dreams, right?" he said, and then to Mrs. Gabriev he smiled apologetically and added, "I must be tired."

He looked all the world like a forlorn boy missing his mother. Mrs. Gabriev moved closer and gave him a reassuring hug. "Go talk to your nice girlfriend, dear."

Xelloss instead asked, "Are there really that many kids still out there?"

No one noticed when he disappeared. Zelgadiss really should have grown a third eye, because he only had two, one dedicated to Lina while the other had currently strayed away from Xelloss to be fully taken in by Amelia.

"We need another plan..." Lina began. "How 'bout you cops? Got any ideas? I'm not stayin' holed up in here all night until you guys clear the area. What's wrong with goin' back out through that tunnel thing to the parking garage again?"

Ryo and Dee spoke in private a few minutes. Ryo, quieter, inhibited, kept his arms folded over his chest; Dee the animated loud-mouth, waved and gesticulated. "Dee, the door's jammed, I told you. We'll just have to wait a little longer until they get a man to cut through."

"Longer? In a room full of teenagers and…BIKKY!" Dee flung up his arms in the all-familiar 'I give up' salute.

Nahga took the break in the conversation to slither over to Val and claim his attention. "I got plenty of friends we could stay with. Why don't we just split now? If we go in twos, you won't be spotted."

Filia, standing within hearing range– and with Nahga's loud voice to match her brassy personality, that didn't mean a terribly close proximity– practically snarled like an injured lioness...very dangerous lady, indeed.

SEQ CHAPTER h r 1Candy was feeling a little lost and bewildered, never having been on an outing with the Slayers before. "Where's Xelloss, Zel?" Candy asked.

"Ah..." Zel whipped his head around. Where, indeed?

Without warning, Filia and Nahga were in a stand off. Nahga, the older, experienced and worldly one, dressed like a hooker in her tight leather halter top and briefest of skirts, stood to her full height in her attempt to look down her nose at the other girl. Filia, not dressed much more tastefully in her Slayers punk-pirate-wrench apparel, lifted her chin, tossed her full mane of shiny blonde hair and lowered her eyelids in a haughty expression. They stood still, measuring one another, and then slowly, they took turns circling each other. Both were beautiful young women; Nahga, tall, pale and dark-haired, sensuous and brash, and Filia, tall and fair, sun-kissed and glowing with good health and good breeding.

A shrill screech and rising roar of cries and shrieks could be heard in the distance above the drone of screams, cries, and hollers that they had been listening to for over the past several hours. Something was up out there!

"Oh gods..." Zel groaned in answer to Candy's question. "Go get one of those detectives to rescue him. He's...out there..."

"Nice boots," Nahga admitted, her eyes raking the other girl's figure from head to foot appraisingly, and landing on the foot.

"Thanks." Filia meted out her praise in trade. "I like your skull necklace."

"Size 8?"

Filia made a tiny movement akin to a nod.

Nahga smiled, hands on her hips. "Wanna trade?"

Filia nodded and smiled in return. She motioned with her hand towards the girls' dressing room. "I've looked everywhere for that top. Think I could find it in my size _anywhere_ in _Seyruun_?"

"Gods, Seyruun! Sairaag, honey, has the rag shops you're lookin' for." Nahga draped an arm over Filia's shoulders and led on. "Oh, ho ho ho ho hoooooh! Whatta hoot! I just love this girl, Val! We are gonna get along just fine!"

Val sat on the floor, gaping after them. "What just happened here?"

Ryo and Dee pushed a wild-haired and breathless Xelloss ahead of them into the room. "There," Dee said with the sound of a click of a closing manacle. He locked the end not enclosing Xelloss wrist to an exposed drainpipe, shackling him to the wall. "That outta keep you outta mischief. Ya gotta be either stupid or nuts ta try a stunt like that...stickin' yer head out into that mess of screaming, squirming teenage hormones, and by the look of ya, I can't tell which!"

Xelloss, offended, started to complain. "Liiina! Don't let them do this to meeeee!"

Lina shook the cobwebs out of her head, "I gotta get outta here, that's all I know. Shuddup, Xelloss, you nitwit! You deserve whatever you get!"

"Dee!" Ryo stuffed his cell phone into his jacket, ran a hand through his hair, exasperated, and turned to Dee with more bad news. "Apparently, the metal worker with the torch had to be awakened from bed...with a bad cold. He just got here. So, the wait for cutting through that door is just got a little longer. Perhaps we could call for paddy wagons and empty the squad room of officers to run herd on the crowd and just hustle everyone into the vans through the front door somehow and take them..."

"...to one of the safe-houses!" Dee finished. "Yeah, not too bad an idea, but...they stand out too much. There's no way we could get them past that crowd to vans even if we used the whole precinct!

Mrs. Gabriev cleared her throat. "Safe-houses? Excuse me, but what would happen to our cars? I don't want my van to get towed away."

"Just give me your license plate numbers and make of cars and I'll make sure they're here for you tomorrow when you come back," Ryo said.

"How many will one hold?" Dee asked.

"The safe-house? Everyone for a few hours, but for an overnight...six or seven. Depends on the size," Ryo answered, measuring the people around him in his head. "We could put the band kids in one and the others (Candy, Nuriko, John, Mrs. Gabriev)...the two younger kids...maybe Joey too...in another place..."

"Not _me_!" Joey intoned. "I stick with the _band_ this time!"

"Oh, ho ho ho hoooo! What do you think?" Nahga asked.

Val, and nearly everyone else, followed Nahga's voice to the dressing room door. Val's eyes then proceeded to nearly pop out as the visions of absolute perfection from out of his most fevered dreams sauntered into view. Nahga and Filia had traded tops and her skirt for Filia's shorts. To make Filia's vest fit, however, Nahga unlaced it most of the way. Zelgadiss blinked and forgot to breathe.

"Hey, Zel!" Gourry called out. "Just like your costume idea, huh?"

"Oh yes...well...ah..." Zel managed to say as eloquently as expected.

"Oh, I think both you girls look hot, very hot!" John smiled and gave them both a hug.

"Thanks, honey," Nahga replied. "Ya know, there's all kinds of stuff hangin' back there."

Nuriko gasped aloud, looking dangerously enlightened. "Show me!" And he dashed off with Nahga and John in the lead. "Oh, my gods...perfect...Per-fect!" His voice could be heard, though muffled by the curtains. "All right, gang. I have the solution to all our problems!"

Lina narrowed her eyes. That sounded too good to be true. "Oh yeah?"

"I want to see! Let me go freeeeee!" Xelloss wailed from his prison wall, managing to walk right into it despite being chained to a drain pipe.

Candy wrapped him in a sympathetic arm and leaned her head on his back. "I don't have a key." If she had one, she wouldn't unlock him, but she didn't tell him that. "I'll rub your back so you can relax, okay?"

"...'kay..." he said in a very, very small voice, and smiled.

Nuriko was in an expansive mood. "Yes! The girls, we hide your hair and dress you like boys, and the guys go in drag!" Nuriko grinned triumphantly and slapped hands with John. "You won't be recognized!"

Lina nodded, "Sounds like a good plan to me. Yo, detectives? Can you get the transports here? Okay, we'll be ready to go in half an hour or less."

"Oh, well now," the honey-haired detective, Ryo, objected. "I don't think that this is a good idea...Mrs. Gabriev, I'm sure you can see... Ah... excuse me, my cell phone again...I can't imagine what could go wrong now..."

"**_What_**!" Gourry, Zel, Xelloss, and Val all shouted together. What was Lina _thinking_! Making them up like _girls_! She _wouldn't_! **No**!

"Ya gotta be kidding!" Dee snorted. He might have a boyfriend, but he wouldn't be caught dead_, particularly_ dead, in a dress either. "We men have got to stand firm here!"

Filia smiled, "Yeah, whatever..."

Sylphiel smiled, "Heh,hee... you want to play dress up too Mr. Detective?" and Amelia cried out, "Let's get to work!"

Sylphiel got started immediately. She pushed Gourry toward the dressing room. "You and Val will be the hardest to fit!"

"N-N-uh..." Gourry sputtered.

John was holding a long pink skirt out to show. "I think there's a scarf that would be perfect to pull the whole look together. His shoulders are too wide for anything revealing. What do _you_ think?"

Gourry gagged.

Filia nodded, "Oh yeah. What about his hair?"

"Oh, leave that to me!" Sylphiel giggled. "I saw the cutest thing Bunny did with her hair, you know, with the buns and pigtails?"

"Oooooh!" Amelia and Filia cooed like a pair of turtle doves.

"Isn't anybody listenin' ta **meee**" Gourry hollered.

"Oh, ho ho ho ho ho hooooo! Forget it, blondie! I'm more audacious than any of you, and no one's much listenin' to me!"

Gourry's expression as he passed Nahga was nothing short of withering.

Val stifled a scream when he felt Filia's talons tighten on his shoulder. "Come now, Vally-dear, and find out what new fashion look is in store for you. Nuriko? What have you got in a tall, extra large?"

"Oh, it's lavender and lovely, with a sweep of floral chiffon."

Val howled.

"These kids are _all_ nuts!" Dee exclaimed. "Ryo? How's that door coming along?"

Ryo sighed. "They had to send for another torch...the first one shorted out, I believe..."

"Oh, just kidding, Val….sweetheart," Nuriko laughed and slapped Val on the arm. "Basic black with those studs."

"First, before your fitting, Val-dear," Filia said with a good hard shove, "that hair gets washed!"

"I'm a star! I AM A STAR! I don't gotta do _shit_!"

"I'll take it from here, sweetie," Nuriko chortled as he strong-armed Val to a sink. "I just qualified for my black belt last summer, so don't go getting any ideas that you have any say in this."

Val gave him a darkening look. "Ah, go ahead and mind the rest of the la-dees, Nuriko. I'll wash out the gel..."

"How about me? What'll I wear?" Joey, fearing he'd been overlooked and forgotten again, demanded his share of attention.

"Ah, now...not the kid..." Dee protested. "Ain't his mom here to protect him?"

John put a hand on Joey's shoulder and made a big show of looking the pretty boy over, turning him around and around. "Honey, you don't _need_ a thing. You are perfect _just_ the way you are."

"B-But I need a disguise!" Joey insisted, missing the innuendo entirely.

"Come with me and let's pick out a nice dress then," John laughed and led him away to the closet.

"Oh, for the love of..." Dee grumbled. "Ryo? Ryo? Where did you go off to now? Ya gotta help me put a stop to all this!"

"Zelgadiss?" Amelia and Nuriko stood on either side of the retiring young man. "Your turn."

Zel stood up and brushed off his pants. "This...will never work," he insisted.

Ryo nodded in agreement. "I think we should try and find another way to do this. It's really not necessary to go to all this much trouble...That door might actually get cleared."

Zel shrugged at that news, and then stood, arms wrapped closely around his middle, and observed the clothes on display with scrutiny reserved usually for choosing a new guitar, or car. "No. Not that red one."

"I agree," Nuriko smiled. "I was thinking _Xelloss_. I always imagined him in red...Oh, I'm just kidding, Zelgadiss! Really, you're too serious at times! Let's just have _fun_ with this!"

"Fun..." Zel muttered and thumbed through the selections. "How about this white one? Seems loose enough."

"Oooh, silk. Slinky. Nice eye, Zel. Give it a try!"

Zel shook his head in wonder at his own compliance. "The sooner this is over, the better."

"But you weren't even listening to me!" Ryo cried out. "This isn't necessary at _all_!"

Zelgadiss sighed. "I already have to listen and answer to Lina's will. That's all I can handle. If you want action, you go convince her first."

"Shall I take the red one to Mr. Xelloss then?"

"Why not? Thanks, Amelia." Nuriko turned his attention to Lina who was plowing through a pile in the 'lost and found' box.

"Any keepers?" he asked.

"Check this one out!" she grinned and stuffed a slouch hat on her head and tossed a small man's jacket over her shoulder. "Sam Spade...private investigator!"

"Oh, that works...very smooth..." Nuriko praised her. "You might want to pin up that gorgeous hair of yours. It's a dead give away."

Lina blushed with pleasure. "Yeah...I look great in anything!"

"Oh, for gods'sakes...and these kids take orders from _her_?" Dee muttered and patted down his sides for a cigarette. "Sam Spade my ass… We're the friggin' detectives, here…"

"Um...Mr. Xelloss? I have a...um...dress for you to put on, though I don't know how you can manage with one arm like that."

Xelloss turned his face away, sulking. "How sad."

"It's a pretty dress," Candy said. "Chinese." She took the dress off the hanger and smiled apologetically back at Amelia.

Xelloss looked at Candy out of the corner of one eye. "Then _you_ wear it."

"Come on...just a little look?"

"I haven't the shoulders for...Oh...it's not too bad is it? Oh, Deee-eee! Come set me freee-eee!"

"Hey, he's singin' _my_ song!" Gourry laughed for the first time since he'd entered his miserable state of enslavement.

Dee looked at them both, his eyes landing on Xelloss last, hard green eyes meeting glittery pleading purple ones. "Ferget it! I'm goin' outside for a smoke!" Dee stomped off in a dark mood.

It was Bikky who unlocked the handcuffs. Grinning he jangled the keys. "I ripped them off when he wasn't lookin'."

"Thanks!" Xelloss sighed rubbing at his newly-freed wrist. "Now..."

Candy took one arm, Amelia the other, and they marched him to the dressing room before he had a chance to act on any other ideas. Damn. That was a plan down the drain…

Meanwhile, Gourry was in makeup with Sylphiel. "Just a bit more eye shadow... Oh, Gourry-dear...it's...it's... Mrs. Gabriev, come look! Does the eyeliner look straight to you?"

"I think you could use a shave, dear, but you'll be fine in the dark," his mother chuckled and patted her 'son' on the head.

"Aw, Ma...!"

"You're done then! I guess, I'd better find _my_ clothes. Now, just stay put and don't, you know, muss up anything!" Sylphiel warned Gourry.

"Over here, Sylph! There's a great coat here!" Lina called from the depths. "You'll look like a Wookie!"

Val was toweling off his hair while Filia was searching the box for her outfit. "How 'bout that baseball jacket?" he pointed to a worn, but clean white and red one on top.

"Sure, I'll give it a try. What about my hair though?"

"Tuck it under the coat and wear the cap. Yeah, yer a regular jock."

"Oh, Caaaandy? Can you help me with my...zipper?" Xelloss erupted into laughter that threatened to overwhelm him soon. "Look at these slits up the sides!" He wriggled out of the dressing room and whipped open a fan. With a coy peek over the top he asked, "Well?"

Candy stared aghast at her boyfriend.

"No girl should ever see her boyfriend wearin' a dress and lookin' prettier than her," Val remarked caustically.

"Nice legs!" John chuckled. "Nice biceps, too."

"Yeah, better wear a shawl to cover up those big, bad muscles," Val snorted. "...and the lack of any..."

"Time to get into _your_ dress, Vally," Filia reminded him. "And you had better hope you look as convincing!" That shut him up.

Ryo had sunk into a chair next to Mrs. Gabriev. "I'm sorry, Ma'am," he said politely. "This isn't the sort of action that I'd recommend."

"That's okay, dear. The kids are just fooling around and having a little harmless fun. I have four boys and two girls that I call my own; these are my oldest. You have the one boy?"

"Six children! Oh, my...well...yes. Just Bikky, and sometimes, it seems, Carol, too. But he's a real hand-full."

She smiled, "I can see that. He's very clever and intelligent, like his father."

"Which one?"

Just as the Slayers were all dressed up, Ryo received the call he'd been expecting all evening, almost. The tunnel door was a double walled unit and they'd only just cut through the first layer. If they wanted to go home anytime soon, another way would be required. This cheering call was followed closely by another. The paddy wagons were on their way. "Dee? We need a plan to get these people from here to the vans in one piece."

"We oughtta make it look like we've arrested them, right? Put the black belts on the outside just in case..."

Ryo nodded, "Let's get started then... Okay everybody, time to go!"

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 28.


	29. Home Sweet Home

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 29 **

**Home Sweet Home**

"Zesssss-teee the Orange man…!" -- Xelloss sang.

* * *

Ryo had remained firm, taking Bikky and Carol home that evening in order to allow Mrs. Gabriev a comfortable bed to herself. All the others shared the floor, mostly, with blankets. Dee was not pleased to be the one left to 'guard' the Slayers clan, but since Ryo gave him that 'look, which gave him no choice,' he acquiesced with minimal grumbling.

After calling their families to assure everyone that they were safe and sound and to determine that Rodimus and Zolf had safely returned to Seyruun with all of their equipment, the kids watched, with interest, the late-night news version of their sold out concert and subsequent mobbing, which brought downtown Sairaag to a standstill. There had been little discussion, practically none, but they had all agreed that the growing fan base was nice; however, the out-of-control part of it was not. It had even seemed a bit 'contrived', too sudden, but no one voiced that opinion audibly that night—that was carried on telepathically between Zelgadiss, Val, and Xelloss. Gourry would have been included, but he had fallen asleep shortly after the announcement of 'And now for the Late Night News for this evening…' Lina had been in the kitchen helping herself to one last snack before bed. Then, to the amazement of the detectives, the kids simply turned off the TV and fell asleep. No hi-jinx. They were dead exhausted and group sleepovers were getting old...

They left the safe house early the next morning in three fated vehicles...

Gourry was going to be driving his mother's van home; he just had not known it at first.

Before they took off for home that morning, he reminded Sylphiel to be ready to go at about five. He planned to take her to dinner before going to the TM Revolution concert. While they were talking, he noticed that Xelloss had left the Slayers van and was speaking to Nahga off at the side. Sylphiel was giggling and waxing poetic concerning their upcoming 'date'. Her enthusiasm was contagious, causing him to look forward to the evening now, where he had once dreaded it. He watched Nahga climb into the Slayer's vehicle.

"I'll be ready, Gourry," she promised. "I'll make sure to pack plenty of snacks for you, too!"

On the other hand, maybe it was just the food...

He left her with the other Slayers, who were sharing driving of the bandwagon back home. Ryo offered Gourry, Joey and Mrs. Gabriev a lift back to the parking lot, where Mrs. Gabriev had parked the family van the day before. Gourry, it now seemed, was to drive them home. Such a _good_ boy. He had even volunteered! However, he was not _that_ kind hearted, it could be argued, since he had not thought of it until he had realized that Nahga was riding in the Slayers' van. Lina nearly went along with him, but she did not want to be stuck in the back seat with a tired and crabby Joey. So, in the end, Gourry drove his mother and brother home. He jammed in an old country-western CD and rolled out of the lot, humming along.

Nahga, having traded with Xelloss for a seat on the van with the Slayers, was the hit of that party. Maybe she was a little older, but she knew how to have a good time! She led sing-alongs and made the miles fly by.

"Hey, Lina. Ya know that song...Midnight Blue... Let's sing that. I have got a fantastic voice. Muuuuch better than yours! Blessed at birth! It is my song, isn't it? Say, why aren't you singing too, Z-mon?"

However, Zelgadiss, the Z-mon, did not answer. He had his earplugs in all the way. He watched the countryside roll by. He was looking forward to tonight. His own room...his bed... Xelloss had told him that he was hoping to stay over with Candy; he had something special in mind. Val was heading out to the settlement to comply with Filia's wishes and complete his commitments, preparing for the Winter Solstice activities. Zel would have the entire house to himself...ah...

Nahga did not let the 'Z-mon's' disinterest put her off. She had her new friend in leathers, Fi-girl, and that fine man, Val, to pester. "Now, that sweet little number you and Fi-girl do. I can sing that too. Ah...how does that start now?"

Val hummed the introduction and they sang another tune, while the out-skirts of Seyruun appeared on the horizon.

"Where'd you go, baby sis? Come on and sit up here with me. I wanna do that solo of yours. I have a very fine ear. I have perfect pitch. I was always singing the leads. That's right. You did harmony. It's much easier to sing harmony against my perfect pitch. Let's see if you can keep up with me here..."

Amelia good-naturedly, but half-heartedly, raised her voice in harmony with her sister. Zelgadiss smiled. He could nearly make out the tall spires of the White Shrine. Home. Almost home.

Xelloss had traveled home with Candy and Nuriko, John driving. "So, can I see you later? Tonight?" Xelloss asked Candy, practically begging.

John had stopped to drop him off at his house and was waiting with Nuriko in the car.

"I don't know. Maybe, dinner. I'm going back to my room and sleep for about five hours. Why don't you call me about 3:00 and we'll make plans then, okay?"

Disappointed, Xelloss started to object, but Candy needed her space. She placed a finger to his lips. "Shhh, now. 3:00. Now, I'm going. You get some rest, too. Promise you'll get some?"

He nodded and helped her back into the car. Nuriko caught his eye from the back seat. "You guys were sensational. Good luck on that CD coming up!"

"Thanks!" and Xelloss waved, and watched John drive away before entering his own home.

As he stepped inside the door, he sensed something was wrong. An envelope rested on the floor alongside the other pieces of mail. His eyes fixed on it a moment before he bent and picked it up. He tore off the end and tapped out another black and white photograph. It featured Mayor Phil and Xelloss standing outside. Was that the mansion in the background? Was it that recent? Whoever sent this was in town, or had a contact in town. Grauscherra came to mind, but that man...he was incapable of planning a complex program to expose and capture or stop him and his friends, Xelloss was sure. So who was responsible? Who?

And, more importantly... if he was going to try and 'wow' Lina...oops! _Laila,_ um**_...Candy_**...he had better get hopping. He started punching phone numbers on his cell phone.

"Hello, my name is Dilgear with Security Enterprises. I'll be handling the security for your band's... The Slay-ers... musical in Mosquita..."

"Oh. I'm not the person you want to speak to about this, I'm afraid."

"You're Zelgadiss Graywords? I was given your name."

"I see...by whom?"

"Ah... Professor Graywords..."

"You're one of his graduate students, I take it."

"Ah...yeah. He heard the news last night. Your run-in with fans in Sairaag shook him up quite a bit."

"Great..." Zel shook his head. "Can we meet and talk about this another time?"

"Okay. Here's my number. You set the time and place, but the prof...he want's me guarding yer place starting today."

"Suit yourself," was all Zel could manage. He wanted his quiet time.

Lina slammed the door shut behind her and dropped her bags on the floor, helter-skelter. "Hey! Anybody here!"

Luna called back from the kitchen. "In here! Want some lunch? Yeah, stupid question..."

She placed a plate of spaghetti and meatballs on the table, a carton of milk, glass, bowl of salad, and a French baguette. She was slicing the bread when Lina fell into a chair. "Great!"

Luna watched her little sister shovel fork- and spoonfuls of food into her mouth. When Lina took a break to swill some milk, Luna asked, "So, how was it? I saw the news."

"Great. The crowd was terrific. We were hot. Joey showed up...his mom had to drive him. Gotta remember to grill Gourry about that slip up."

_"_Gourry slipped up? Don't tell me _he_..._forgot_ something _important_?"

"You're bein' sarcastic. He...can't always help it," Lina said defending him. "Like his goin' out with Sylphiel tonight. He sure botched that up. I mean, I know he was meanin' ta ask me to that concert. He just couldn't keep it in his brain long enough..."

Luna smile knowingly. "And how was Xelloss?

"Fine...His current flame, Candy, was there with Nuriko and a guy he's taken up with..."

"Xelloss has a girlfriend? I hadn't heard."

"Oh? Didn't I tell ya? Oh, no biggie. She goes to the university...in math with Zel and Xelloss."

"Candy...?"

"She graduated from Seyruun High last year with honors. Real smart. Nice, I guess. She lived through a Slayers event so she's gotta be tough. I thought she'd about faint when Xelloss put on that red dress..."

"Why would he do something like that?"

"All the guys went drag and the girls dressed like guys. I was a very short Sam Spade. Disguises... We looked like arrested kids, walked right by the fans and into police vans...right to this safe-house place where I called you from. Great show, like I said. He shouldn't have kissed me though..."

"Who kissed you?"

"Oh, Xelloss, of course, who else? Part of the act, our dance routine, but he went overboard this time. He apologized this morning. Said it was because his meds had worn off and he was outta control. Loopy– I think he said the clinical term was for his condition."

"And his girlfriend was in the audience? It was probably true, then. He's not a tease. At least, he's pretty forthright with you."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"I mean, he let you know how felt, right? Has he told you anything has changed that?"

"He has a girlfriend, Luna. A real one. Val said she stayed over at their house the other night. You do the math. I don't think Xelloss is harboring feelings for me like... that...anymore. I told him to move on, and he has."

"Still..."

Lina started on the salad. "Still...what?"

"You said he kissed you. An insignificant peck on the lips, huh?" Luna was baiting Lina now, hoping to draw out more information.

"No! Why would I get all worked up over that? No, he nearly gagged me with..." Lina blushed. "Nothing...leave me alone."

Luna sat quietly a few minutes, waiting for Lina to bring up another topic.

"Nahga came along. Hitched a ride with the Candy entourage."

Candy, again... "And how was Nahga on the road?"

"Good. Better than ever. Sober, too. I dunno how attached she is to Val, but Filia figured it out pretty quick. Put Filia in a lousy mood at first, but she and Nahga worked things out, I guess. It's hard not to like Nahga, ya know? She's a real kick, as she would say."

"I like her too. She really rolls in the tips at the Zephillia. I think she's really stuck on Val, though. I hope...well, he's a good kid deep down. I hope things work out for them, I really do."

Lina glanced sideways at her sister. She was sure thinking about relationships a lot these days. What was it Val had told her? Oh yeah... time to test those waters... "So, tell me about Julian. Is he...the one?"

Luna nearly fell out of her chair. "J-Julian?"

Lina grinned with satisfaction. To pull one over on her big sister took real skill. What an achievement! While Lina gloated, Luna tried to find the words to answer her question.

"He's...well...special. Um, I don't know if...or how... I need to get myself established first. Then there's the distances involved..."

"I asked how ya felt about him, not if the two of you were runnin' off ta get married tomorrow. You're not, are you?" Lina grinned.

"Of course not," Luna snorted. "I promised Mom... I wouldn't leave you here alone."

Lina shrugged. "I'm graduating early. This June, in fact. I'll be goin' to the university next year. I'm not a little kid any more. You can start living your life for yourself, ya know. It's okay."

Luna sighed. "Maybe Ill be ready then. Maybe I'll know, for sure." She got up and opened the refrigerator. "Dessert?"

"Yeah."

Luna sliced both of them some pie and sat down. "Tell me how Amelia's doing. That must have been a terrible blow. The syndicate hitting so close to home..."

"Yeah, she was pretty down all week. I was gonna let her skip the gig, but she...has that honor thing going. Turns out, Zel took it upon himself to pull her out of her funk. He did it all on his own too. Without me twisting his arm or anything."

"That's interesting. Sounds like all of your admirers have found themselves new girlfriends. Just like you wanted them to, right? You pushed them all away, didn't you? Well, that must feel pretty good, huh?"

Lina hesitated. "Ahhh...sure. I did do that, didn't I? Yeah, just what I wanted...to be left alone...finally. I mean, they're all still friends, just not fighting. Yeah... it's... great. It was all... great."

"Candy! Come to the door! Hurry! Ya gotta see this!"

"I'm getting ready to go out to dinner with Xelloss. Hold on..." She opened the door, still attaching an earring. "Now, John, what's all this got to do with me?"

"Grab your coat and purse, honey. You are in for a _real_ classy night out!"

Xelloss was standing by the limousine, giving the driver some last minute directions. When he turned, Candy was standing beside John and a host of other students in the residence, gaping in awe.

"Xelloss! You...rented this for us?"

"Well, I needed a car and you know I...hate to drive, so... Voila! Look, he's got the door open for us. Shall we be going? Reservations are...waiting."

"Am I dressed fancy enough? You didn't tell me it would be so formal."

"You look beautiful, really. Don't worry. Let's just have fun, okay?"

Candy looked back at her fellow students and waved. She was so excited. He was really becoming a rock star...and he treated her like gold--when they were together, which was not very often. She was the envy of her building tonight. "Okay, we'd better hurry, though, in case you get recognized and have to go into hiding or something."

"Don't remind me," he chuckled and climbed into the backseat after her.

"So, where are we going?"

"The Seyruun Hotel, where there is dinner and dancing till dawn, or so it says here on this tiny little ad, see?"

"Isn't that where old people go to dance, Xelloss?"

"Maybe, but I like to dance where I can hold you, not watch you bounce out of reach." He smiled and kissed her lightly.

She smiled. "You're trying to be romantic."

"I most certainly am. Just give me time."

"All right..." She snuggled closer and enjoyed the ride.

She was right. The dance hall was filled mostly with people twenty to fifty years older than themselves, much like the place in Atlas City where Xelloss had taken Filia and her parents.

"Shall we dance a little first, then dine?"

"I'm hungry. Let's eat first."

"As you wish," he said with a bow.

They were seated at once at a private window seat and presented menus, which Xelloss waved away. He rattled off a string of French so fluidly that even with four years of French classes at Seyruun High, she couldn't make out a word.

"What did you just order for us?"

"That's...a secret. Just wait, okay. Here, taste this..." He stood to lean over the table and kiss her again, causing her to blush.

"Not here..." she smiled.

"Okay..." He sat back and watched as the first course was delivered…then the next…then the next…

"You're not eating much tonight," he noted. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, it's fine...really. It's just...I'm not used to such rich food, that's all."

"Why don't we dance, then, and come back in a bit?"

"Um...I can't really dance. Not like that, anyway. Sorry, I didn't know you'd be bringing me someplace like this..."

"It's okay. We'll just...play it by ear. Come on, I'll show you."

After a few minutes, he had taught her enough so that they could do more than just rock in place.

"Do you know that woman over there?" Candy asked. "No, don't look now...when we turn. Blue hair..."

"All the old ladies have blue hair."

"Real blue." She squeezed his shoulder where her hand was resting. "Silly boy."

"No, although...there is something familiar about her that I can't place. Ah, she and her dancing partner are moving this way."

Xelloss felt a tap on his shoulder.

"May I cut in?" The gentleman smiled apologetically as if the intrusion wasn't his idea, which it wasn't.

Xelloss and Candy exchanged blank expressions.

"I'm not much of a dancer, but my ...wife is and...would like a single dance with an accomplished one."

Xelloss nodded, "Well, if it's just the one..."

They traded partners and exchanged names and then the music started a new piece. Candy was not a dancer, but she could tell that her new partner had not been joking about his ineptitude. Together they stunk. They agreed to sit the rest of the number out and watch the others sail past.

"Your...date tonight is a remarkable dancer," the gentleman noted to Candy.

"Yes...he is. I never knew..." And, indeed, she was notably impressed. Xelloss was like a character out of a movie she did not recognize. Suave and sophisticated, elegant and handsome. Smart yet sulky, witty yet whiny. Wild and crazy, silly and bizarre. He was all those at times and more. No, she didn't know the man--boy--at all.

He re-joined her at their table at the end of the song. "Ready for dessert?"

They agreed to share a multi-layered cake and cream concoction. Xelloss tasted a fork-full and closed his eyes in contentment. "Hmmm, wonderful, don't you think?"

"I've never had anything like this before. Xelloss?"

"Yes? Are you having a good time? I really want this to be special tonight for you."

"Really? Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Close your eyes a moment."

"Okaay... Now what?" he asked. He did like games.

"Who do you see?"

He did not move. He sat still...thinking.

"Who do you see sitting here with you?" she repeated.

He opened his eyes. "You."

"Are you sure? There are times when I know I'm not with you, but some stranger. Interesting, entertaining, but not always ...you. Sometimes it seems like you are entertaining another friend, and not me, when we're together."

"I...don't understand, Candy. It's just me all the time and I don't think of anyone else when I'm with you. I really like you and... I mean, there are things about me that I haven't told you, but...I had to wait until we'd known each other long enough to know...if you'd maybe still like me...if I was different from what you'd thought I was at first..."

"You are rambling again."

"I...know, but I'm trying to explain."

"I know you are, it's just...that we are so different. We move in different worlds a lot of the time...most of the time. I'm not sure where I fit in. Now, with Zelgadiss, I feel I can talk to him and that he's real and the same guy each time...even on the job last night, he was the same Zel. But you...are never the same person twice in a row."

"I see...I think...You make me sound so artificial, but I'm not... I don't try to be. I think as you get to know me better, I won't seem so odd. I really do improve with time. Everyone _tells_ me that!"

That brought a smile to her lips. "I bet they do." She sighed and tasted the dessert.

"What was that for? The big sigh..."

"I was just thinking...about how you'll be all tied up over winter break, while I'll be free. It's too bad, that's all. We could do something together that's not school or your...band."

"This is something..."

"I mean something not in Seyruun. Skiing, for instance."

Skiing? Xelloss had not thought of that--that was for sure. His expression must have been a dead giveaway that he was not very interested in taking up a new sport. "Oh..."

"That's what I mean...about us being so different." She looked away, unable to meet his uncertain gaze. "Anyway, it's getting late and I need to get up early in the morning to do laundry and studying for all the tests I have next week. Don't you have tests too?"

"Some," then he added suddenly, "Would you like to stay here tonight?"

""Here? This hotel? Isn't this really expensive?"

"Well, I guess so, but that's okay...I'll pay for it. Will you...stay?"

"I...don't think that would be a good idea..."

Xelloss' eyes welled up. Now _that_ was disappointing. He lowered his head, shading his eyes with his bangs and repeated to himself, real men don't cry..."Are you breaking up with me? Please...say no... Give me another chance to...sweep you off your feet."

"N-no. I'm not breaking up with you, Xelloss. I'm just... What are you doing!"

Xelloss pulled her to her feet and led her gracefully to the dance floor again. "Sweeping you...off your feet!" He chuckled and swirled her around until she was dizzy.

Lina could not believe it. How many times had she told Gourry that she had wanted to go to that TM Revolution concert? Well, often enough that Zel got tired of it and ordered tickets off the internet for them. So...why wasn't she going? Moreover, why was Sylphiel? If Gourry had wanted to invite ole Sylphie, well...fine, just as long as he had ordered tickets for all three of them, and then everything would be just...super. But he hadn't, and they weren't. Things that is...being super. Just because she wasn't crawling or hanging all over the guy...baking him food...sewing him little...do-dads...didn't mean that she didn't care...at all. She had really wanted to go to that concert, too!

So, why hadn't she told that to Xelloss? He would have gotten her front row seats and a private car...with food service to go with it...had she asked...maybe...if he wasn't too busy entertaining...Can-dy.

Zel got the tickets. Why hadn't he gotten one for himself and they could have all gone? Why hadn't Zel done that, huh? He could have even invited Amelia, for once, to do something. Yeah, Zel had plenty of opportunity to have made her life a bit better, but...he had gone and given the tickets to Gourry. Gourry, the nimble-minded oaf! He probably didn't even know who the singer was! She was certain he did not! What was it he'd said? "TM...that for trade mark? That a play 'bout history?" Gods...what an idiot! And after playing that CD over and over all week...

Lina sat up in bed, hair tousled from thrashing around. It was not even that late. Zel was probably still up. Maybe she had better just go over there and give him a piece of her mind...yeah...that was sounding better and better...

"What's this?" Val asked Milgasia. They were seated at the table about to eat a late dinner.

"A traditional solstice menu. Val. Oh, that's right. You weren't here last year, were you. Well, since this is your first time, I'll tell you about the dietary laws surrounding the celebration..."

"Menu? These are grass clippin's from a midget's garden with cat-piss! I need real food, dude. I worked hard today, settin' up all those floats fer the downtown parade, cartin' boxes, stackin' crates...and that was after laying a gig last night and...I'm still growin'! I can't do with just...sprouts an' vinegar!"

"Val, sit down. There's no reason for you to yell. Val... Val? Val, come back here and listen...!"

"Oh Gourry, isn't he just wonderful!" Sylphiel sighed dreamily. "Gourry?"

He was so quiet and still. It was dark in the concert hall, but very noisy due to the screaming girls accompanying the loud music. Gourry slept on, thanks to those nice earplugs Zel had thoughtfully leant him. So peaceful...dark...like in a cocoon...

Yes, peaceful and dark... Zelgadiss was stretched out in the hot tub. He had the entire house, inside and out, to himself. His eyes were closed. The door to the house was open (the heating bill be damned!) allowing the soothing melodies from the stereo inside to float gently on the airwaves outside to caress his tender eardrums. Other than that, it was quiet. It was close to freezing outside so all the neighbors had their houses closed up and barking dogs shut in. A car or two driving by on the street out front...a truck...that was all. Quiet. Quiet and warm. The heat in the tub was cranked up high and the jets were spewing millions of tiny bubbles around and around. Zel was the happiest that he had ever been, at least in a long while. And so were his friends tonight, he was sure.

Lina...he had made certain that Gourry had those tickets and was all set to go. Lina would be happy at least. And if she was happy, the world would be a better place. And it was all because of his hard work and perseverance and...credit card and computer skills. Hey, use the talents you are blessed with!

Val was out at the settlement all busy with Filia. That should keep them both busy and happy, right? A busy Cephied Believer was a happy C.B. Good thing he'd talked Val into going tonight. He was going to 'shine the whole friggin' holiday off' again. Well, Val and Filia could both thank him later!

Filia could thank him for getting Nahga out of the way to make it all happen, too. That was a real stroke of genius (gloat, gloat.) He got Nahga convinced that she should stay home and have a good family cry with her father and little sister over the past few family tragedies. Good for them all! Amelia still had lots to give, he was sure. And what better way to share the grief, than to have plenty of close family around to do it with? Oh, yes...he had even done well by the little princess and her overbearing sister.

And Xelloss was gone too. He had suggested to Xelloss that he should just get a hotel room if her roommate was there. The goofus had not thought of anything as simple as that! He certainly had seen enough movies to learn a pointer or two… So easy...so quiet...

Gods it felt good to help everyone this way! Maybe he ought to consider a career in counseling, or...better yet...psychiatry! Yes...he could be a doctor and a psychiatrist! He could solve everyone's problems! Ah...the water felt soooo good...

"And now my sister's car won't start? Argh! No! It's freezin' out here and I don't wanna walk all the way to Zel's place! No, no. no! Why does Zel haveta live so far away now? He used ta be a couple blocks away, but noooo, now he's at the other end of the park and miles away. If I freeze ta death it will be all his fault. Do you hear me, Zel? ALL YOUR FAULT!" Lina hunkered down, yanked her hat down a bit more, scrunched up her face against the cold and struck out down the street.

"He left? HE LEFT!" Filia screamed. "No! Don't tell me that! He just better not have really left, that's all I've got to say! I've got tons of stuff left to do and he promised to help. Promised! Zel promised me he would! I could have gotten other people to do the work, but I saved it for me and Val. That _stupid_ Zelgadiss. What kind of advice was that from him? I ought to call him and give him a piece of my mind!

"Gods, now I remember why I couldn't wait to move out before."

"Oh, Nahga, I've really missed you, you know," Amelia cried. "Without you it's been...been...kinda..."

"_Boring_. Just admit it. Without me around your pathetic little life has been boring as hell. Oh ho ho hooooooo!"

Amelia let out a huge sigh. "Mostly...but... Not my birthday!"

Nahga perked up. "Oh yeah? So, tell me aboutcher birthday then! Didya go out and get drunk?"

"Oh no...I wouldn't do something like that..."

"Oh..."

"Zelgadiss drove me to a quiet...private...place in the hills above Atlas City. We were recording there. But that night..."

"You guys were makin' out under the stars!"

"Well, kinda...except...there weren't any stars!" Amelia giggled.

"Pretty romantic, huh? I didn't think that guy had any moves..."

"And then it started to rain..."

"Oh ho hoooooo! Bet that put the damper on his plans!"

"Nahga! He's...not that kinda guy. He's very...nice and...self-controlled."

"Woooo, whoooo! Let me tell you something, honey–-all guys are 'that kind' of guys, they just package it differently."

Amelia shook her head. Not her Zelgadiss. He was the perfect...well, nearly perfect gentleman. She began to wonder what he was doing now. "No Val or Xelloss...I bet he's lonely there at his house."

"What are we waiting for, girl? Let's go visit that little boyfriend of yours then! Give me a minute to grab some...food and drinks and we'll have a party."

"B-but...shouldn't we call first? What if he has other plans? Or he's asleep? Nahga? Nahga! Wait up!"

"Thank you, Xelloss, for the nice dinner and all. Sorry about having to leave you like this, but...we'll get together next week, before you have to go to Atlas City, right? And we can call and talk. 'Kay...bye now..." Candy kissed him lightly, and then left him frustrated at the door to her residence.

"Where next, Sir?" The limousine driver asked.

"Home. Here's the address where I live. Take your time. I'm...in no hurry."

"Thank you, Gourry! That was like the best night of my life! I had so much fun! I hope you did too. I hope I didn't scream in your ears too loudly, did I?"

"Ah...I'm fine, Sylphiel. Glad you enjoyed yerself. Ah...well...I, ah...gotta go now. I'll see ya...later."

Before he could make his getaway, Sylphiel jumped up and landed a tiny kiss on his cheek. "Bye bye!"

Ah... He left the shrine and started up his old pickup. He turned down the block and out of the downtown. "I outta go thank Zel fer the tickets and all...'specially the earplugs."

He passed his house and slowed as he neared Lina's. "Dark there. Guess I shouldn't stop by... Don't wanna wake that older sister of hers."

A block later, he spotted a small figure flitting in and out of the street lights. Red and black coat. Yep, real familar. He slowed the truck and rolled down the window. "LINA! That you? Whatcher doin' out now? It's mighty cold out."

"Gourry? Gourry! You're always around when I need ya. Take me to Zel's."

"Zel's? Yeah, that's where I was goin'."

"What a coincidence, huh?"

"Guess so." Gourry grinned and reached out with a long arm and helped her up into the truck. "He know yer comin'?"

"Zel? Why would that matter? He's always glad to see me! Ha, ha!"

Zel almost picked up his cell phone, but on second thought, he just let it ring. No good ever came from a phone call. Besides, it was cold out. And he was warm in the hot tub...and not dressed...and the towel was just out of reach, if he had really tried to get it...which he hadn't. Too bad about missing that call... If it was important, they'll call back.

"Damn that Zelgadiss anyway!" Filia shouted. "Pick up the phone! Mo-om? Can I get a ride back to town? NO! Grrrr..."

Val finished his third greasy burger and an extra large order of fries at a dive on the edge of town. He was feeling better now that he was not starving. He even thought about diving back to the settlement and apologizing to Milgasia. Naw...might as well go home and get some sleep. Maybe Zel would wanna go play pool... Zel... He wanted to pound that guy for talking him into staying out at the settlement THIS TIME OF YEAR! He couldn't wait to whoop his ass at pool tonight...

Xelloss was the first to arrive home. "I **live** here. Who are you?"

"Dilgear. Security. Have some ID on ya?"

Xelloss pulled out his wallet and flashed his driver's license. "Satisfied? Who hired you? Dad? Yes, I'm a relative, too. You outta get your Graywords _genealogy_ straight."

He pushed past the broad-shouldered young man and went straight to his room.

"Owooowowoo!"

"Damnit, Beast! Get out of my way! Find Zelgadiss and go whine to him. What? He's not here? Fine, then. I'll follow you..." Xelloss allowed the wolf-dog to lead him through the front room (now with Spanish guitar riffs flooding the room), past the kitchen (dark, except for the single light from the aquarium housing his goldfish), and out the French doors to the patio. "Zelgadiss?"

Zel opened one eye and sat up. He could barely make out Xelloss through the dense fog from the hot tub, but the voice was unmistakable. "In here. What are you doing here?"

"l live here. What is the security man doing here?" Xelloss stood in the doorway watching the fog waft. Beast did not like the cold (wuss wolf) so he gladly curled up at his feet out of the daft.

"Father hired him...wants me to attach him to the band. More entourage! I said I would think about it, but he's here for tonight. Apparently, Father is worried about us. Was that Gourry's truck just now?"

"How can you hear that over the jets? I'll go check..."

Xelloss got as far as the front door, when he heard Lina's shrill voice.

"WHAT! You can't stop me from goin' in there. I can damn well go see my friend anytime I want to. Tell 'em, Gourry!"

"Ah...well...you wanna try stoppin' her?"

"Hello, Lina...Gourry!" Xelloss chortled from inside the house, door open. "It's okay, Dilgear. Put Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev's names on the 'tight with Zelgadiss' list for me, would you?"

"Thanks," Lina grumbled on her way in. "What are _you_ doing here? And what's with the bodyguard?"

"Deja vu..." Xelloss shook his head. "Why doesn't _anyone_ think I _live_ here?"

"Zel here?" Gourry asked.

"Hot tub..." Xelloss sighed.

Lina's eyes grew wide, a look of ecstasy spread across her face. "Me too!"

"Not now...Hold on...Ah...!" Xelloss nearly tripped over Beast.

"Owooooowowowooooo…"

"LINA!"

"ZEL!"

"Who the hell are you? Get the f outta my way!" Val growled from the front of the house.

The disc player hummed and a new CD clicked into place. Bosa nova beat. Ah...Rio...

Gourry was torn as to whether or not he wanted to get involved in either developing problem. The first, which was mostly going to be a territorial dispute between Lina and a (at best) scantily dressed Zel in the place of weakness, or that other one where Val was about to commit murder in the first degree. He chose the later and loped out to help the security guy.

"Youuuuu-whooooo! Say, sissy-poo, looks like your honey's havin' a party. Good thing I brought some grub 'n' suds. Vaaa-al! Oh, look, a new guy! Hi, honey, I don't think I've seen you before. My name's Nahga the Great White Serpent of Sairaag, of late, but you can just call me Nahga, okay? Hold that door for us, okay tall-dark-and-hairy? That's right, we're comin' through...Oh ho ho hoooooooo! Gourry! Why, sissy-poo, I'm gonna have my hands full tonight with all these good-lookin' guys!"

Dilgear did not have a chance against Nahga.

"Lina! D-don't come any closer. I...I'm not dressed." Zel's voice was low and guarded.

Forgetting what she'd come over to yell at him about, Lina poured on the charm. "How about giving me a turn in there? You don't want to turn out like a prune, do you?"

"I'm not going to get out with you standing there. A-and...Amelia! Oh gods...no...why me...why me...?" He sunk to his chin -level into the water.

"Oh ho ho hoooooo! My GODS! A hot tub, too! What a place! Damn cold out here, move over honey..."

"GAAAAH!" Zel screamed a very unmanly scream.

It took both Gourry and Val to stop Nahga from shedding her garments and just jumping in with Zel. If Xelloss had few inhibitions, she had none. Amelia and Lina left Zel to find his towel, while Xelloss lent him his kimono for the march from the out-of-doors to his room to change. Val trailed him to his own bathroom.

Nahga was unpacking the snacks, stopping to feed Gourry and Dilgear, in turn, tidbits. "Poppyseed cake. This is the best. I recommended that the cook use sour cream. It makes all the difference!"

"Xelloss, get us some towels, would ya?"

"At your service, Miss Lina!"

"You comin', Nahga?" Lina asked on her way out to the hot tub, Amelia stumbling awkwardly at her side. "It's girl's happy hour!"

"Yeah, after I get a drink here!"

No sooner had Zelgadiss entered the kitchen than Lina and Amelia left. Nahga had found the glasses and was about to pour Xelloss a drink...of whiskey. "You look like you could use somethin' strong tonight."

Gourry was uncomfortable and starting to his feet. Val entered. "What's that? Put that down! I told ya, no booze here. That's the rule." He leveled his golden gaze onto Nahga and held.

"Oh, I don't mind..." Xelloss began.

"But I do...you **_outta_**. It was an ag-gre-ment we made goin' in here...and at that practice room of yours." He was still staring at Nahga. "Give me the bottle and stay...or go..."

Zelgadiss looked out the door, the mists from the hot tub floating by in thin wisps. It was time to reload the CD... Oh joy… Why did life have to be so hard?

Nahga looked at the bottle, then back up to meet Val's eyes. "Yeah, sure, no problem, here. I keep forgettin' you're all babies over here. That's okay!" She wrapped her arms around Val's neck. "So...am I draggin' you out to the hot tub with me...or are you invitin' me somewhere more private."

Val grinned. "Here!" He tossed the whiskey bottle at Gourry. With some effort, he picked up the sizable young woman and carried her away. They could hear the door to Val's room slam, cutting off the tail end of Nahga's laugh.

"That double insulation was a good idea," Gourry observed as he drained the bottle into the sink.

Zel looked askance at Xelloss, and then back to Gourry. "Excellent one." His cell phone buzzed. "Yes?" He pulled it away from his ear immediately. "It's for you!" He tossed his cell phone to Xelloss.

"Then why did they call your number...?" Xelloss asked. "Hello? **_Filia_**! Well...that's not very nice. You ought to try that _persuasive voice_... Eeeuuuu... What language from a _lady_! And that's not even _possible_! I don't think Zelgadiss wants to listen to that kind of talk. He's got very sensitive ears. He likes sweeeeet talk."

"Give me that phone...!" Zel shouted.

In a keep-away game, Xelloss lobbed the instrument to Gourry's hands. Gourry tapped on the mouthpiece. "'Lo? Anybody there? Who? Filia? Oh, hey...how are ya? Zel did _what_? Oh...I dunno...don't sound like somethin' he woulda done on purpose. Are you sure? He's a pretty nice guy, ya know. Real thoughtful and...Gotta go..."

"Gourry! Give me my phone!" Zel demanded, hopping up in the air to make a grab at it as Gourry held it up over his head.

Gourry sent it flying over to Dilgear, who, not knowing whether or not he owed it to Zel, as his bodyguard sorta, to give it back, flung it to Xelloss like a hot potato.

"Filia? You _still _there? Yes, I am, _too_! Isn't _that_ nice? Well, _I_ think so. Oopsie!" Xelloss completed a backhand pass to Gourry.

Tiring of the game, Zelgadiss simply gave up. "If you want to talk to her that much, who am I to stop you? Soda, Dilgear?"

"Oh, yeah...sure. I guess I'd better go back to door duty," he said, but he didn't move from his chair.

"How are we going to get rid of the girls, Zelgadiss?" Xelloss asked and taking a soda himself.

"Already taken care of."

"Oh?"

"I turned off the heater and the jets are on a timer. I figure...about twenty-two more seconds and they will begin to notice."

Gourry shook his head. "I don't get how you do that..."

Zel smiled. "It's a gift, to which I am obliged to...Oh, hello, Lina...Amelia. Want to change? First door, street-side..."

"That's my room!" Xelloss began to object, but since it was too late. He changed his plea. "Just don't leave those wet towels on the floor. Here, just give them to me and I'll put them in the wash. Okay...I'll wait..."

Amelia, Lina, Gourry, Zelgadiss, and Xelloss were lounging around the kitchen with hot chocolates. Xelloss handed one to Dilgear as he pushed off to guard duty. The rumble of the dryer could be heard in the background.

"So, what are you all doing here?" Zel asked.

Gourry handed over the borrowed earplugs with a thank you. "I uh...slept through most of it, the concert thingee. Mighta been okay, but the singer dude was...well...pretty fem. Sylphiel liked it well enough, I suppose." At which point he turned to Lina and said, "I'd meant ta take you 'cause I knew ya wanted to go, but...the tickets fell out on the van ta Sairaag and she saw them and thought...well...she was so excited and thought I was gonna invite her and... I didn't see no other way out of it. Sorry...maybe Zel'll getcha more..."

Lina shrugged. "Yeah, sure...another time. That was pretty...nice of ya ta do that, ya know?"

"Ah, thanks, Lina," he smiled. "So, why were ya comin' over ta see Zel?"

"Me? Oh, yeah...I was gonna find out why he didn't just get more tickets so me...so we could all go. That and...keep him company..." she smiled, too.

"That's what I thought, too!" Amelia cried out. "Poor Mr. Zelgadiss here all alone. None of us are supposed to be all alone, you know. No only is it unjust, but it's unsafe!"

"I don't think 'unsafe' is quite right," Zel said sighing lightly. "And, as you can see, I was not alone for long."

"Which brings us to you, Xelloss..." Lina looked his way.

He had pushed his chair up close to the cabinet where the fish bowl stood. He was following his fish's progress around a plastic castle...up and under...around and around... A shout from Lina and a kick to his chair brought him around as well. "What? Here? I **_live_ **here, as I have asserted _repeatedly_. Oh...and... I got another picture in the mail. Me and your father, Amelia, taken not long ago outside your place."

That brought the discussion around to the status of their 'syndicate problem'. It was not lost on Zel that Xelloss had carefully avoided answering Lina's question directly. Something was not right between him and Candy, he was afraid. Well, let Xelloss keep his secrets until he is ready to talk. Zel had nothing to add, and since they were all getting tired physically and of one another's company, Gourry offered to take Lina and Amelia home, assuming Val was responsible for delivering Nahga to her residence.

Zel and Xelloss walked them to the door, and then Xelloss returned to watching his fish swim. Zel followed the others out to Gourry's truck, when a boy, about his size jumped out of the bushes shouting, "Lina? Lina Inverse! I need your help!"

"Eh? Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, I-I didn't expect you to recognize me." He stood a little taller and ran a hand quickly through his chocolate-brown hair. A hunk flopped over one eye, leaving the other eye to express all his emotion. It was large and deep brown, fringed by dark, thick lashes. He reminded Lina of a deer, a damned cute-looking one. "My name is... Hallas Lyes."

"Oh, yeah. I've seen you at school. So...what are you doing here? This is Zel's house."

"I saw you leaving your house and walking...I was going to stop you then, but...You got a ride. It's taken me this long to get here. Lina, I r-really need your help."

"So you say...Why me?"

"I can pay, too! Ah, well, everyone knows you'll do just about anything for money..." He recognized the danger signals right away as Lina's eyes flared and fists tightened, so he added in a rush of words, "...not anything but...but...helping people kinds of things! Like you did for Kagome!"

"What?" Lina didn't think her reputation had sunk to the 'do-gooder' state.

"Oh, that archery club fundraiser, Miss Lina!"

"Well, that was...special." So, it was true. Zel had said it before, 'No good deed went unpunished.' "So, before I freeze out here, what's your story?"

Gourry leaned against his truck to listen. Zel folded his arms and frowned. "This had better be good."

"My family..."

"Your family is one of the richest families in all Seyruun or its neighboring townships. Your estate lies to the south. We passed it on our way back from Sairaag, Miss Lina!" Amelia looked quickly to Zelgadiss for confirmation.

"The wealthiest, I think," Hallas admitted. He was clever enough to approach Lina from her greedy side. Of course, he knew nothing of Xelloss, Val, and Zelgadiss' inheritances. And even Gourry knew to keep his mouth shut.

Lina's interest was now tweaked. "Go on..."

"My father recently remarried..."

"Yes! It was in the papers. Society section. Your stepmother's name is...or was Miss Carrie...and she has a daughter..." Amelia scratched her head.

"Yes, and that's my problem. My father is a very weak man and my stepmother is..."

"The witch, yeah, I get that... So where do I come in? It's not gettin' any warmer."

"She wants to hold onto my father's money, which is supposed to come to me, so she got him to agree to the most atrocious..."

"Out with it!"

"Lina, I'm going inside," Zel announced. "Hallas, you are welcome to join us inside. I can tell this is going to take a while."

In silent agreement, they all turned and shuffled back into the house, tipping their imaginary hats to Dilgear on the way in.

"Back so soon? Oh, you've brought friends...again? They're multiplying, too. Who's this?" Xelloss asked with mild interest.

"Hallas. Okay, sit down and tell me what it is you need me for," Lina said.

"Thank you, Lina. And...let me say that you are just as lovely in real life as everyone says..."

Gourry placed a hand on the kid's shoulder. "Better get on with it..."

"Okay," Hallas sighed. "So my father and stepmother arranged my marriage to my...my...stepsister to keep the money in the family. A-And she's...just awful!"

"Well, naturally..." Xelloss agreed. Lina's deadly glare shut him up immediately. He dipped into the kitchen unnoticed. He could tell when his input was unwelcome, and for some reason, it was unwelcome most everyplace…tonight.

"That's just terrible! I can't believe that they can get away with something like that!" Amelia cried out.

"I'm sure they can't," Zel muttered and checked his watch.

"The only way out for me isn't much better. I have to find someone else, someone who will marry me–- and I only have one week!" Hallas exclaimed, eyes tearing up.

Xelloss dropped a sack in the kitchen. "Don't mind me!" he shouted while skittering around picking up the dozen or so oranges and tangerines rolling around.

"Sounds ridiculous, to me," Zel spat with disgust. "What you need is a good..."

"Plan! Oh, Hallas Lyes, we'll think of something, won't we Miss Lina?" Amelia jumped up and down with excitement. "I know, I know! You can _marry_ Miss Lina!"

"Yes, yes! That's just what I was thinking!" Hallas shouted joyfully. "Lina would be perfect. She's so beautiful and strong, they'd believe anything she said. You make a very lovely fiancé for me to present!"

"Oh, yes. We'll all go to your house tomorrow, and introduce Miss Lina. Mr. Xelloss is a priest; he could perform the wedding right there and then!"

"Amelia!" shouted Lina. "I am not going to get married!"

"Well, not for real, that's right. A mock-wedding, of course, my Lina, my hope. We'd need to get fake documents and all..." Hallas said thoughtfully.

"Mr. Xelloss? Can you hear all this? You can make up a pretend marriage certificate for Miss Lina and Mr. Hallas, can't you?"

Now, Miss Amelia could plead all she wanted, but Miss Lina would have nothing to do with the plan...nor would Zelgadiss.

"Amelia, wake up here! That would be illegal. Xelloss will do nothing of the sort. Lina...Lina tell them no," Zel said, hoping fervently that he alone was not the singular voice of reason.

"Of course not," Lina agreed. "This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Amelia, I can't believe you'd come up with a half-baked plan like that!"

Ignoring the others, Hallas and Amelia just kept planning. "You see, Lina would be a perfect fit...for my stepsister's wedding dress. You'll be so beautiful! Oh, Lina it can work! It will work! We'll make them think we are really getting married, and then get an annulment."

Lina nodded. "You'd get all your inheritance then? Even if we were no longer married?"

"Well, yes..."

Lina's eyes narrowed. "So what do I get out of all this...sacrifice on my part?"

"Lina…" Zel grumbled warningly.

"Oh, I could pay you say $5000?"

"$10,000!" she bartered.

"Lina!" Gourry gasped.

"Lina, this is ridiculous..." Zel shook his head.

Hallas continued, "We'd have to live at the estate, and then in a week or two..."

"EH?" Lina gasped.

"Yes, after the paperwork is complete we could have the annulment done...It shouldn't take more than a few weeks...month tops!" Hallas smiled, Amelia smiled, Lina gagged.

"Month! Absolutely..."

"**_Not!_**" Both she and Zel, with a little late harmony provided by Gourry, intoned adamantly.

"Listen to yourselves! You sound ludicrous," Zel said by way of summary. "This is a case for a good lawyer and a little detective work. I happen to have a man I can trust for you to talk with in the morning...no...not now. It's late!"

Amelia frowned. Zel the old killjoy...

"But I can't go home...to...that... I just can't face them!"

"He's very emotional..." Gourry noted.

"But he's so cute...and rich, isn't he, Miss Lina?"

"Yeah, but...I do not want to get caught up in any...entanglements, Amelia. Sorry, Hallas. Still, I don't think you should back there alone."

Zel sighed. "All right. Hallas can stay here tonight, on the couch, or in the guest room, if it's made up. I call my lawyer, Mr. Fribrizzo, in the morning..."

"Better make it early!" Xelloss reminded him, his voice coming from the kitchen. "We have other fish...to fry, so to speak, around lunchtime. And Count D hates it when a customer is late."

Zel nodded. "I hadn't forgotten. What's so funny?"

He stood up from the chair in the front room and searched for his nutty friend in the kitchen. "Xelloss? Oh...ah...what are those?"

On the table, Xelloss had assembled and grouped six men, using oranges for the bases, tangerine heads, carrot-tip noses, sliced olive eyes, and accessorized with an assortment of vegetable parts. Xelloss grinned. Since Zelgadiss certainly did not 'get them', Xelloss sang a little jingle. "Get it? Zes-ty...the orange man (to the tune of 'Frosty, the Snowman') and friends!"

Amelia, of course, loved them all and labeled Xelloss 'The Most Cleverest Craftsman' she knew.

Oh...joy... "I'm going to bed," Zel announced.

On the way to his room, he brushed by Val and Nahga on their way out.

"Amelia, you still here? I'll take ya home with Nahga, then," Val said.

"Guess we should go too," Gourry urged Lina, who decided after her last narrow escape with fate, she had better go directly home, and stay there this time.

"Yeah, let's get outta here!"

* * *

From the Authors: **_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 29.


	30. Something Fishies

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 30 **

**Something Fishies**

"I'm not sure about anything any more. "I think it's the incense."-- Zelgadiss

Note: Count D belongs to Matusuri Akino, Pet Shop of Horrors, TokyoPop; nods to the Clamp Campus Detectives by the ladies of Clamp; TokyoPop (subnote—the Clamp boys are used at the ages at which they appeared in the 'X' Clamp manga stories.)

**

* * *

Something Fishlike. **

That night Xelloss had the strangest dream. He was at the beach, walking along the shore, when he felt overwhelmed with longing. Candy appeared, but --as in the crazy way of dreams–- she didn't look like Candy. She looked like a fish, with legs and arms...and long eyelashes. Sort of. Now, why he thought she was Candy, he didn't know, but Candy she was and he was in love with her. He began to run toward her. She dove into the water, playing hard to get.

"Candy, I can't swim!" he shouted, but dashed off into the waves like a raving manic.

Why had he said that? He had just learned and was now a pretty fair swimmer, but, alas, dream-Xelloss was not. He was in over his head, arms flailing stupidly.

"I'm Laila!" she shouted merrily some ways off.

Well, yes, that was true...he knew that...but a hell of a lot of good that information would do him now!

Then he was swimming like a fish. His head bobbed up and he thought Lina was chanting spells at him, making him buoyant. Gotta love that Lina! What a lifesaver! No...he wasn't just swimming like a fish, he was a fish, and one damned ugly one at that! Damn! Now where did Laila go? Was that her on shore? Now what's with _that_?

He was not too pleased with this turn of events, but he nevertheless continued his relentless pursuit of Laila to the shore. Once back on terra firma, he was happy to find that even in his fish-like form he had legs and arms, although they were skinny like one of those magnetic Joe-Bender toys. His annoyance with his diminished appendages was appeased by knowing that at least Laila was as fishy-strange as he was.

What's that! Laila was not a fish-person anymore. She was...

"Laila?"

"No, I'm Candy, silly!"

Of course you are...

"...And you are Kerel, my true love!" she said, without a scale or gill to be found– he was looking her over pretty carefully to be certain.

"Er...ah...no, I'm Xelloss the...ah...new most important man in your life, remember?"

But, since this was a dream, the moment he said this, he was standing on a dune looking down at Laila and Kerel, at least he figured the fish-guy was Kerel. She was happy with that fact and sank into his arms like they'd been apart for maybe...twenty minutes, tops!

Ah, well...that was not good. He remembered thinking that, but in an unattached way, rather than a deeply emotional way. On the other hand, and yes...he had his own hands and feet and regular guy limbs and torso and...probably a head... Yes, his normal head was back, too! In dreams you can look at your own head sometimes. He was back to being Xelloss again. He gave one last look at the happy couple, and was thankful– thankful that he wasn't a fish-guy, despite losing the girl.

Was that _laughing_ he heard now or his own? Lina. Lina had magically returned him to his right state. He should thank her for that. He looked around for Lina, but there was only the laughter. He followed the voice. Now why had he thought that sounded like Lina? It didn't sound like Lina at all. It sounded like...Filia.

And there was Filia. "You idiot!" she yelled, but then went right on laughing.

Then he woke up. How unsatisfying! He'd wanted to say something back to Filia. He couldn't recall what now...but it had been very clever...and cunning...and...oh...well. Maybe it _was_ time for a new pet. A furry one.

**

* * *

****Something Fishy.**

The morning phone calls brought an unusual team of investigators to the Graywords/Metallium/Agares home. Three nice-looking young men shook Zelgadiss' outstretched hand and followed him into the front room.

Zel handed their card to Xelloss, who had entered from the kitchen. "I'll check this out..." he assured Zel and disappeared into his room.

While Hallas chatted amiably with the visitors, Zelgadiss prepared tea and waited for Xelloss' analysis.

Five minutes later, Xelloss joined him, smiling. "They're squeaky clean."

"Thanks. Lets see what they have to say. Could you carry the cups?"

Xelloss distributed cups and introduced himself. "I'm Xelloss and let me guess which is which...you are Nokoru Imonoyama, and president of the agency." He passed a cup to the oldest of the three, a nice-looking young man with carefully-tousled blonde hair.

"That is correct," he smiled winningly. "A brilliant deduction!"

Xelloss smiled. "And you are Suoh Takamura." He handed him a cup of tea. This one had a look of immutable seriousness on his young face, a look which transcended his bluish hair (done in the same style as Zelgadiss...coincidence? Or had Zel unwittingly started a fashion trend?). He took the cup in a controlled, precise movement, betraying his years of training in martial arts. "You're his body-guard, and you handle the accounting."

That won Xelloss a curt nod. "You've done your homework."

"That makes you...Akira Iyojuin!" Xelloss reasoned and set down a cup of tea near the youngest man of the trio. He had large brown eyes and black hair and reminded Xelloss of an older, happy-looking Subaru.

"Yes, and since you know so much about us, I'll bet you won't be surprised to learn that I've brought a cake!" The young man called Akira produced a pink cardboard box which he presented cheerfully to Xelloss. "I baked it last night and I hope you'll all have a piece."

"I will and if Val wakes up, he'll eat the rest," Xelloss chuckled. "So, what are the Clamp Campus Detectives doing on a case definitely off-campus?"

Suoh answered, "Hallas is an alumnus of ours. Even if he left after eighth grade, we still take care of our own, especially in cases with complicated personal issues, our specialty."

Hallas was asked to explain the entire situation, answer questions, then repeat it all again for additional details. When he was done, the three detectives conferred privately a short time.

Nokoru nodded Hallas' way. "I think we can take this from here on out. I see no way that his stepmother can lay any claim to his inheritance or force him into an unfortunate marriage. Hallas do not worry. You're going to be set to rights; the Clamp Campus Detectives guarantee it!"

"And you can come stay with us for the holidays while we're getting this all worked out," Akira offered. "I bet there are friends you haven't seen in a long time there."

Suoh caught Xelloss' then Zel's eyes. "I would like to know how you learned so much about us so quickly. Our identities are something we keep well hidden. A low profile helps us in our line of work, as you might agree."

"We also have to keep a part of our lives a secret," Xelloss said.

"Especially those with such distinguished syndicate pasts," Nokoru said with a twinkle in his eye. "It's all right. As you can tell, we did our homework too. We have no love for the syndicate and have followed the events of the recent past relating to them. It's odd how the 'facts' in the paper really don't explain the outcomes based on the unusual circumstances surrounding them."

Zelgadiss shrugged. "Journalists..."

"There are those who honor your covert accomplishments to bring down the syndicate, and we would like to be counted among them. Please, if we can bring our resources to your aid or can in any way be of use to you in the future; do not hesitate to call on us. You have our card." Nokoru offered.

"Never know when a friend might be able to lend a helping hand!" Akira added cheerily.

"Thank you..." Zel muttered. He was both unable and unwilling to say more about their circumstances.

The detectives understood. "Do not feel like you need to explain. We understand. Perhaps your team and ours can cooperate synergistically in the future," Nokoru assured him. "If there is nothing else?"

"I, ah, think that's pretty much...all," Xelloss smiled and shrugged. "Unless you want another cup of tea. The cake is great! Um...should I wrap up the left-overs for you to take back?"

"Oh, no!" Akira shook his pretty little head. Having longer eyelashes than Subaru seemed a dangerous occupation. He had to bat them compulsively. "It's all yours! I love baking, but The Chief and Takamura-san can't eat it all!"

"I try, though," Nokoru laughed. "It's just that I can't get much help from Suoh; he doesn't like sweets too much." Suoh blushed and turned away, very, very ready to leave.

"Sounds like someone I know," Xelloss glanced Cheshire cat-like at Zel.

Zel cleared his throat, his planner out already. "But we really can't chat much longer, because you're going to visit Subaru, if you remember?"

"Oh, yes!" Xelloss remembered. Well, now he knew what to do with the rest of that scrumptious cake...

"Subaru?" Nokoru inquired. "If you don't mind...do you mean Subaru Sumeragi?"

Now, usually they would not be so quick to dispense with the poor kid's identity. But, as with the crazy Count D, there was something about these people that inspired sort of surreal confidence. It was as if...they all belonged to the same world; a world the normal people of their school and the businesses could never understand... Could that be syndicate connections? Xelloss found none, to be sure. These detectives had said that they were enemies of the syndicate, and Count D had sold them wolves... Everything the syndicate touched seemed enchanted, either fair or foul...

"Yes, he's a priest at the White Shrine with me," Xelloss explained. "He's sort of become a family friend, and we visit him to cheer him up."

"He hasn't been playing with the band recently," Nokoru nodded. "Has he been working?"

"He's always working," Zel sighed.

"Well...tell him hello from us!" Akira effused. "We haven't seen him since his band played at the School a while ago. We'd love to come visit some time if he wouldn't mind!"

"We'll be sure to tell him," Zel agreed. "But...he isn't very responsive right now, I warn you."

"Then it is worse than I thought..." Nokoru mumbled. "Yes, we'll come visit him soon, I think. But not today. Come on, Hallas! Let's be off before we outstay our welcome here! And thank you, gentlemen, for letting us strange men into your home," he bowed.

"It's...all good," Zel coughed.

They all wished one another well and saw Hallas off at the door.

Xelloss and Zel exchanged looks. "Were they for real?" Xelloss asked.

"I don't know, but they took that Hallas character away so for that...I am thankful. Anyway, time to pay our favorite count a call?"

"After you..."

**

* * *

Something Fishies. **

Since earplugs had become such an essential part of his life, Zel began to wonder how to patent nose-plugs. Not that his nose was as sensitive as his ears, but the thick, cloying stink of incense made him almost miss the pungent musk of animal that this pet shop mysteriously lacked.

This time, as he and Xelloss were going in to pick up Subaru's fish, now set up in the habitat Xelloss had ordered last time and ready to be presented to he unsuspecting boy, Zel was able to identify the words on the sign outside: and yes, it did indeed say 'Count D' in florid script. But it looked so old! Generations old. Zel wondered if, at some point, they all went out for Chinese food in the area (there was a great-looking Dim Sum place he wanted to try), he would find ancient Chinese-Seyrunnian patriarchs who remembered buying their first puppy at Count D's...

"Come along, little brother!" Xelloss called.

Zel blinked. He'd been spacing out as badly as Xelloss. What a reversal!

"Yes, you would not want to be left behind," the count smiled as pleasantly as one could with black lipstick and two-inch fingernails. "It is not always safe to be alone in this establishment."

"Of course not..." He should have guessed. The gremlins would get you if you weren't paying attention...

"Are you sure that you two can carry that on your own?" the Count wondered, sympathetically but unhelpfully, as Zel and Xelloss hunkered down with their arms around the large ceramic urn.

"I'm a black belt," Xelloss grunted, putting some strength into it. "And Zel is pretty tough, too."

'_Pretty tough'_? Xelloss was going to get hours of silent treatment for that...that is, if they didn't both get dumped in the hospital for twin hernias...

"I'd say you are!" the count chuckled. They had the pot up, and were wobbling down the hall to the door. "So unusual, for someone to have arms suited to pouring tea as well as hauling heavy objects. You are both delightfully unusual people."

Zel swallowed a snort and forced the front door open with his back.

Of course, the cars doors were shut, and the convertible top was up to protect the leather interior from the nasty winter weather.

"Oh, allow me!" the Count, looking very much a fish out of water outside his sultry shop, deftly, almost magically, managed to pop open the top for them to load the pot into the back seat.

Zel decided to worry about how he did that later. For now, he was simply grateful. Relieved of the burden, he slumped against the car to let his muscles return to their original shape. And that was without the water in it! It was like a pond for your living room! What if Subaru wanted to rearrange his furniture? He wouldn't be able to budge it an inch!

"Now, you do have un-chlorinated water to fill that with, I presume?" the Count made sure.

"Of course! I have everything ready, as per the contract. As soon as we pick up the equipment and the fishies, we'll take it right to Subaru's and set it up for him," Xelloss was getting excited.

"Ah, yes. And the other elements of the environment..."

"The agates and quartz river-rocks for the bottom?" Xelloss reminded him.

"Right here," the count pointed to a bag next to the counter. "Though I'm afraid I cannot lift them myself."

Zel wasn't surprised.

"Oh, Zel will get them. How about the water plants?"

Zel was even less surprised. He grabbed the rock bag and hauled.

"Yes, here are the bags...three lotuses and five water-lilies. They should reproduce until the habitat is filled, and they will attract houseflies and other bugs for the koi to eat. Of course, there is a bag of starter food, as well."

"Oh goody!" Xelloss took these in two leisurely trips. Zel came back, sore.

"You could use some help around here, couldn't you?" Zel noted. "It seems like a lot for one person to handle."

"Oh, not at all. It is a labor of love. This is a shop that sells hopes and dreams, after all," the count sighed happily. "But thank you, you poor child. You've been working hard. You do a lot for Subaru."

"It's more for Xelloss," Zel shrugged. "For Subaru, I'll hire someone to take care of the damned thing."

D laughed. "Yes, that is true. This is for your brother's sake, more than for your friend's. But I think that Subaru will be pleased, as well."

"I hope so. But somehow, I don't think that another responsibility is what he needs."

"But he seems to like responsibility," D pointed out. "Are you sure it is not yourself you mean?"

"I'm not sure about anything any more," Zel grunted. "I think it's the incense."

"Probably," D agreed. "It's a special blend to take care of the animal odor, and to keep them happy and calm. But...it also has an effect on certain humans, as well."

"And what is that?" Alarm alarm alarm...

"It makes some people sneeze," D shrugged.

"Okay! We're ready for the pretty fishies!" Xelloss returned from his haul, having positioned the bagged plants in the dry pot for safety.

"I've got that," Zel lifted it for him observe.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Xelloss cast about for the bag they'd brought in (it had Zel's keys in it, after all), and found it where he'd left it, next to the counter. "We brought you some lovely cake!"

"Oh?" D peered closer with interest. When the sweet was produced, a look of complete ecstasy came over his face. "Oh! Oh, you _wonderful_ people! That-that is a confection of the great Akira Iyojuin, the Prince of Pastry himself! Sadly, he works as a detective, so they say that the only way you can taste his cooking is if you're invited to one of the CLAMP School balls, or if they donate something to a charity auction, which will cost _hundreds_ of dollars!"

"Oh no!" Xelloss shook his head. "He brought it for us today. He and his partners are working on a case for someone we know, so..."

"You've _met_ him! And you'd give this to _me_? This is his Royal Quince Custard Cake! A genius recipe no one has been able to duplicate!"

"Yes, it was very good, but we couldn't possibly finish it. I thought you'd appreciate it. It's just a thank-you for your service," Xelloss assured him.

"Really, you are too much_! Discount_! Thirty-percent discount!" he declared.

"That won't be–"

"I _insist_!"

"Well, we charged it, and it already been processed..."

"Oh, then weren't you thinking of a pet for your lady?" the count remembered. "Come in again, in a week or so, and I'll find you–both of you–whatever you like!"

Zel blinked. "Well, thank you..."

"And I was just thinking that I should like a pet! Something furry...a rabbit?"

"You...would not want a rabbit," the count evaded. "But we'll find something perfect. Oh, you two are such darlings! Now I have something extra special to share with my detective friend, officer Orcot...he always comes for tea when he's in the area, and there was a mysterious death yesterday night, so I'm sure to see him today!" there was an eerie gleam in his eye.

"Well, enjoy! Thank you for all your help!" Xelloss waved as they left.

"And your understanding," Zel shrugged.

"No no _no_, thank _you_! I'm so glad we've met! I'm sure this will be the start of a mutually gratifying business relationship!" D sighed, looking starry-eyed at the cake he now held out before him to admire.

"For sure!"

Zel smiled. Was it coincidence or were they accumulating future working relationships with the oddest people? But then, who was he to judge? "Well, that was a good idea. The cake, I mean," Zel clarified, looking at the shimmering fish-shaped mass of responsibility swimming around in the bag Xelloss cradled.

"Yes, yes it was. But it leads us to the question of the day," Xelloss decided.

"Which is?" Zel raised an eyebrow, which luckily was reflex so it didn't distract him from his driving.

"Are there ANY straight detectives in Seyruun?"

**

* * *

Some Fish! **

"Whoa–what the heck is that?"

A poor novice, set sweeping the front steps of the Shrine living quarters building, stared wide-eyed at the strange object that the well-dressed young men, who had driven up in a suave new convertible, were lugging like a pair of fashionable young movers.

"Fish tank!" Xelloss supplied between grunts of effort. He hated this physical labor part. Really! Zel should have thought of that and hired someone to help! Gourry, at least. This was HIS kind of thing.

"Trouble," corrected Zel. "Is nnff Subaru in, do you hffn know?"

The kid shrugged. "If the door's unlocked I guess so. But I don't know who that is. Sorry."

"That's uff! okay!"

They set the pot down in front of Subaru's door. Zel knocked, and they waited. He should be in. He knew they were coming. He couldn't NOT be there, not when they'd hauled that THING all the way–!

The door opened. "Hi," Subaru said. "Sorry. I was on the phone with a client."

"Not a problem," Zel assured him. "Um..."

"Oh, my...that is a...big jar, isn't it?" Subaru didn't know what else to say. "Did you...carry it all the way?"

"We have a surprise for you!" Xelloss smiled.

"It was Xelloss' idea," informed Zel.

"Here," Xelloss continued before Subaru's expression got even more pathetically blank. "We'll carry it inside and set it up for you!"

"All right," Subaru gave up wondering and opened the door wide. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Oh, no, just watch! Zel and I will take care of it. Zel, can you–"

"Roll it in on its side," Zel told him. "It's the only possible way. I'll get the stand and the rocks..."

"Rocks?" Subaru asked.

"Yes. It'll be very clean, don't worry. We won't make a mess," Zel promised.

Subaru smiled and shook his head. "I wasn't worried. You two are very neat."

"So are you," Zel noted, casting a glance around the Spartan apartment. It hadn't changed at all since they'd last been there; it was as if no one lived there at all. The floors were bare, the walls nearly so, and there was absolutely nothing lying about.

Xelloss had the pot in the 'living' room now. Zel excused himself, and returned momentarily with the wooden stand and the bubbler/water-circulation apparatus. "Can we plug this in here?" he pointed to the nearest outlet.

"Certainly." Subaru was entertained, anyway. He was beginning to understand what was going on, though he wondered why.

Next came the plastic containers of specially prepared water, the bag of rocks, the water plants. Xelloss took care of the machinery, Zel the water, and Subaru stood by, more interested than ever. The jar was pretty. A shimmering bluish-green raku glaze job on a classic Asian shape, with appliqué clay designs around the lip, like ceramic lace, full of lotuses and blue dragons. It reminded him of pictures of the Water Dragon King, Cephied... He had pretty much convinced himself that he wouldn't mind having it around.

"Look how pretty the water is over the rocks!" Subaru said, staring into the jar.

"And these plants just float on top..." Xelloss had the water plant-care booklet the Count had included open on the floor.

"Are those water lilies?" Subaru asked.

"Right! Lily pads, but without frogs."

"Do they flower pink? Or yellow?"

"Pink, I think!"

"Like Monet's garden..." Subaru mused.

"You like Monet?" Zel perked up.

"Very much. His paintings are...both vibrant, and soothing. The colors are bright, but they have a sense of calm, of simple joy..."

"His later paintings especially are soothing," Zel agreed. "And heartfelt."

"And when you get up close to one, you can see how he painted them, with all the brush-strokes and blotches of color," Xelloss put in. He liked Monet, too, although not as his favorite. He liked Degas better, though that was probably the subject matter...or maybe the in-between, transitional world that Degas painted was just more appealing to him than tranquil gardens? "Up close, they are all the same." Plop! The last of the lilies went in. Next, the lotuses...

"Up close, it's like looking through tears," Subaru said. "I like all the Impressionists. I like landscapes in general, and wildlife illustration. Pictures of people are...not real enough. They're just not quite right, no matter what you do."

"You talk like you've tried painting," Zel realized.

"Oh, I just draw a little..." Subaru blushed.

"Okay! Now that it's all set up...the last brush stroke, and our masterpiece will be complete!"

Subaru smiled at Xelloss, who produced the bagged koi. "Voila! Here they are!"

"Oh!" Subaru's gaze fixed on the fish. "They...are beautiful..."

"Koi symbolize eternity!" Xelloss proclaimed. "They can live almost forever! And if you follow all of the instructions, they can even grow to know you, and will let you hand feed them, and touch them!"

"Black and white together...like a Yin-Yang."

"I thought you'd like them!" Xelloss sighed, relieved that he had done a good job. It worked! Subaru liked them!

"Oh, it's wonderful! May I...put them into their new home?" Subaru asked.

Of course he could. He held the bag underwater and undid the tie.

"And you just leave the bag in there for them to swim out of–oh! There one went!" Xelloss laughed.

Subaru removed the empty bag and watched the paired fish swim hypnotically around their new habitat. "Like Monet...or a Sumi-E brush painting..."

"Now, here's the starter food, and this is the contract-it has the care instructions so that nothing will go wrong. You have to feed them everyday, and this says to talk to them and to play them...well, this says they like Mason Williams..."

"Xelloss," Zel warned.

"I'm not kidding! And they like Paul Winter and Enya, too..."

"Give me that!" Zel grabbed for the paper.

"But they like romantic _sax_ best of all!" Xelloss finished, and sat on the contract. Zel gave him a dark look.

"I could play my saxophone for them..." Subaru was entranced by the way the light shimmered on the fishes' scales, the way the black and white swathes were truly in the curved tear-drop shapes of the two halves of the yin-yang. Light and dark, harmonizing in the living creatures. It gave him...hope.

**

* * *

Let Them Eat…Some Fish. **

"Miss Filia?" Amelia noticed her friend was a little low. Lina and Sylphiel were in the mansion's well-stocked kitchen collecting refreshments to lug over to the practice room.

"Yeah..."

"What's happened between you and Mr. Val? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It really isn't my business, I know...but..."

"It's...okay. I kinda need to talk about it, too. I...you know, have been real busy. Ever since this summer when I wanted to leave the priestess training, but then got talked back into it by Milgasia... the responsibility has been loaded on me double-duty, it seems."

"That's too bad. Is it good work, I mean, you like it, don't you?"

"Mostly I do...especially on weekends when Val's been there. It's just that...he likes to do other stuff and there hasn't been time really. Then...oh...it's so stupid...but...I wanted to go to that country club of his. He said we'd go play tennis and have dinner, and I thought he was serious."

"Mr. Val doesn't seem the devious sort of guy to me," Amelia concurred. "Not about a date!"

"Well, I got all ready, packed a change of clothes and all and walked to Milgasia's where he stays and he was all...stretched out on the couch watching TV. He said he didn't 'play no tennis'...that he was just kidding."

"No!"

"Yes! I was so mad. I told him to take me to dinner then and he said he'd already eaten! Then we started yelling...Milgasia came in and sent me home. **_ME_**! I was so mad at him...and hurt!" Filia wiped a stray tear with her hand.

"Well, I would have been too! What was his problem? Did he _say_?"

"Not really. I think he was just mad that I'd been doing things without him and leaving him out of things– which I had, but...well, you can understand that, right? I can't take Val just anywhere. He intimidates the other boys and flirts with the girls at the settlement, which doesn't' bother me much because I know he's just messing with their heads, nothing serious, but still... He won't join us all for much more than riding. So this just has kept going on and on...until the recording job. Now, I was going to invite him to the art show, not that other goofball, but he was ignoring me again and...I don't know. I think I wanted to hurt him back, too. So...I went with Xelloss and then we went to your party and he...left with your sister."

"Yeah, I remember that. I didn't even know she was home. She has an apartment in Seyruun now so she isn't home very much. I was surprised she even came to the party...and more so that Mr. Val seemed to kinda...like her." Amelia looked embarrassed for having said that.

"It's okay, I figured it out too. I told him that he still owed me a dinner and he told me to pick a date and I said after solstice and he said...whatever...he agreed, I guess. So in the meantime I know he's going out with Nahga and...I can't hate her, you know? She's really..."

"A personality!" Amelia said. "Yeah, even daddy can't stay mad at her for long. She's not really all that bad..." Her eyes met Filia's, who were laughing. "Okay, she is, but she makes the miles fly by."

"Trouble is...I think he likes her...that it isn't just a passing thing. Well, think about it. They're a lot alike in some ways–- his father was the head of their clan, wealthy, they both like to party and...all. Kinda wild. Attractive. How old is she anyway?"

The question caught Amelia off guard. "Ah...um...twenty-one. She's only three years older than him..."

"Vices...Did you know he's back to smoking? Oh, he sneaks them, but I know. And the drinking...I know he's just barely made it out to the settlement in one piece a few times. I'm really worried about him."

"Miss Filia, I didn't know...I'll talk to my sister about that. She shouldn't be supplying him with alcohol. That's against the law!" She was about to begin a tirade against underage drinking, when she noticed her friend wasn't paying attention. She was lost in thought.

"Hey guys, couldya grab that box of pizza-flavored fish crackers and another six-pack of soda on yer way over!" Lina shouted over her shoulder as she and Sylphiel made their last trip back to the practice room.

"Yes, Miss Lina!" Amelia answered, then returned to Filia, who appeared to be stirring from her chair. "How much do you really like him, Miss Filia?"

"Who... Val?"

"Who else? Or is there somebody else we should be talking about, too?"

"Oh...there's nobody. I don't have time for maintaining some needy boyfriend right now. But...I kinda miss him, too. Come on, kiddo, we'd better get over to practice before Lina has to come back for us."

"Okay!" Amelia jumped up and followed her out the door. She figured that Filia must really like Val and be jealous of how close her sister was getting to him. Poor Miss Filia! What could she do to help, she wondered?

**

* * *

Go Fish. **

"I could have sworn we just did the laundry!" Xelloss said baffled.

"You are thinking of running the drier doing towels the other night," Zel suggested.

"Ah, yes...maybe so."

Of course, we do laundry every other day, so you might be thinking of that as well."

"Perhaps that's what it was. Well, there's one more load done. I should just stay home everyday and do chores rather than run around sorting out that musical."

"Be the little homemaker? You'd get bored."

"I could dream about the little woman coming home after a hard day of work...eager to see me..." Xelloss let out a long sigh and smiled dreamily.

"Aren't you curious why I'm home early from class?" Zel asked, determined to get Xelloss off that subject.

"Ah, tell me, Zelgadiss, why is it that you are home and not in Japanese class at the high school this lovely, rainy-turning-to-icy afternoon?"

"No class. Language teacher conference day. So I came home. Val's here too, in his room. The others are going directly to Amelia's for band practice."

"Lucky me. So..." Xelloss continued talking while Zel half-listened. They had moved to the kitchen where Zel was making himself a cup of tea.

"...So, um...pretend that you're interested for a minute, 'kay? So... my question was...is...what am I doing wrong?" Xelloss asked. He was teasing his own goldfish with his finger; touching it to the surface as if to feed it and drawing the fish upwards each time. He hoped Subaru was enjoying his new pet...

"Shall I consult the usual list, or would you care to limit that question to a single universe?"

Xelloss frowned at his friend. "That wasn't nice, Zelgadiss. I'm being serious here. I've been talking about me and Candy. I've tried everything, but she suddenly put up her shielding...distancing herself from me. I ask what's wrong, but she says nothing. She's busy..."

"Maybe she is busy. We do have that math final tomorrow. Anyway, you were with her last night; not what I'd call 'distancing'."

"Emotionally. Not...physically..."

Zelgadiss cleared his throat in warning. "Maybe you should talk to Val about your problems. He's more...in tune with you, I think."

Xelloss thought that was rather cold of him to say. "I did. He doesn't get it. His idea of success is scoring with chicks, which requires emotional de-coupling. I...I just want someone to want me. I give all I can, but it's not enough. I just fall short of...being real."

Zel shook his head. "You just said it then– until you can be open about who you are, it's you who seems detached...like you are acting out one role after another trying to see which is the best fit."

"But, you know I can't just tell her I've got the syndicate breathing down my neck at every turn in the road no matter what escape route I'm on? Oh, and I'm so damned involved in the hierarchy I have to murder all my relatives to be free–-well, except you, I guess."

"I guess," Zel smiled faintly. "You don't think that's true, do you? That they won't leave you alone eventually?"

"Not as long I have control of the funds, which I do. Darkstar's funds, part of the Grauscherra Dynasty's money, all of the Metallium endowment...I currently control several multi-million...billion-dollar funds around the world. No, I don't think the syndicate is ready to just write me off. And...I can't tell Candy about it."

"You don't trust her?"

"Yes and no. I don't think she's a gold-digger, although the rock-star image impresses her. I want to feel more...commitment on her part before I dump that truth on her. She says you are always you, real and honest, but...we both know that you have your secrets, too."

Zel looked away. "I am always me. I don't try to get people to like me, so I have no false front to put up. Oh, a colder one, yes, but it is no less real. She also isn't trying to get to know me better, whereas with you, she's pushing those boundaries now. You want her to fall in love with you, but you aren't in love with her, that's the problem. I can't help you with that, Xelloss."

"But I do...mostly. I mean...I _could_!"

"Xelloss, I know you mean to love her, you certainly want to enough, but...maybe you have to be satisfied with simply infatuation or...lust and let it run its course. Maybe the relationship isn't meant to be."

"What if it _is_? Maybe it's worth saving? How do I _know_? How can I be _sure_?"

"How can _anybody_? You are asking _me_? I have _no_ idea. As far as I'm concerned, a relationship is meant to be if it just doesn't go away, but then...I'm not going for deep or meaningful at this point. So far in my life, the friends I have have stuck around regardless."

"But, come on, Zelgadiss, you have had to work at this 'friend' thing. You've nearly died saving your friends on more than one occasion. After our fights, you've taken the first step at reconciliation as often as I have. No, you have that part wrong, I think. You definitely have to work to maintain friendships."

"Well, I have no ideas for you. Why not just let up a bit and enjoy doing things together and if things develop, well...great, but if you find that you're drifting apart, then...it was just not meant to be, and let it go, move on, and find the next possibility."

"The next possibility? Like there's an endless stream of girls lining up to...well...there were quite a few at that concert the other night, weren't there?"

"Yes."

"But...it takes so much time and effort to get to know someone and all..."

"My point exactly. Why bother?"

"Because I **_need_** somebody! I don't want to be alone."

"Well, that's where you and I differ, I guess," Zel sighed. "I am perfectly accustomed to and happy with being alone. I can put my time and effort into doing other things."

Xelloss shook his head. "I don't believe that. I don't think it's true. Either you are lying to me or to yourself, I don't know which, but you do like company and you want someone to share your life with you. That much I know about you, Mr. Zelgadiss Graywords."

That won him a dark brooding look from Zelgadiss. "You might start by keeping your hands off Lina when your girlfriend's looking on. Even father could have seen how...attracted to her you were...still are, and he's blind." Zel lowered his voice. He could hear Val stomping through the front room, headed their way. "What I don't understand, is why Lina didn't pound you into the ground afterwards."

Val heard that anyway. He chuckled roughly, "He's breakin' down her reserves, heh heh...Is that the fish you bought? Plain...don't look so special ta me."

"No, we gave Subaru his fishie already. He loved them! They were a pair of expensive, gorgeous koi. This is my simple, plain, inexpensive little goldfish. It's been here for months. You're a really attentive observer, aren't you Vally-boy?"

"I see plenty. I noticed how ex-ci-ted you were with Lina, and how low-key you are with yer girlfriend," Val argued.

"I'm restrained...romantic. The hyper-version frightens her, I think. I try to tailor myself to fit the circumstances..."

"And you wonder why Candy's commitment-shy? Don't you think she can sense that, hell, she just witnessed you off meds and back on within twenty-four hours...the full personality loop-de-loop..." Zel started.

"An' prac-ti-cal-ly makin' love ta Lina on stage..." Val pressed his point.

"I was not..."

"You were!" Zel shouted. "Act or not, that's not the point. She's an ordinary person, Xelloss, leading an ordinary college-type life and you...you...aren't. Your personality took her by storm, but now she's searching for substance. If you can't give her that, and I'm not saying you ought to nor should either, then she'll turn to someone who can." Zel sighed and stood. "Listen, you're my friend, Xelloss, I don't want to hurt your feelings by saying the wrong thing. This is just my opinion, which isn't worth much..."

Xelloss was staring at him oddly. "What do you mean? What do you know that you're not telling me?"

Val spoke up. "She was seein' her old boyfriend over Thanksgivin' break."

"I...I was told that. They were neighbors...grew up together as kids, much like you, Zel, and Lina and Gourry. Naturally, they'd run into one another when they'd go home for breaks from school. He's at some college in Atlas City. Not so far."

"So whatdaya think'll happen over winter break? It's a lot longer an' you'll be out'a town?" Val asked.

"Nothing," Xelloss insisted.

"So she was engaged to the dude last summer. That's gotta be an easy thing to fall back into compared ta you."

"Me? What's wrong with me?"

'Ahhh, nothin' dude. I didn't mean it that way. I meant that he was like an old shoe that fits okay, while you're the new one that looks better, but can rub the wrong way at first. Pretty good an-aly-gee, huh?" Val grinned with pride.

"You're really deep, Vally. So, you think I look better? You ever seen...ah...Kerel?"

"Yeah, so have you, but ya didn't know his name. Gourry and Filia figured it out with the help of the yearbook. Remember last year when you broke some dude's kneecap in the hall? No, that wasn't Kerel. He was there, though. Gourry re-cog-niiized him as one of the 'good' guys that helped break things up and take the injured away."

Xelloss shook his head. "Don't recall him."

"Not par-tic-u-lar-ly anythin'. Your size, bit heavier...brown hair, parted in the middle, tan."

"Filia thought he was a quarterback."

"Naw...she gets everything wrong. Ex-soccer player...place-kicker. He ain't got yer _glamorous _looks."

Xelloss made a face at that comment.

"Xelloss, you're only about nineteen. Quit pressuring yourself to find some perfect bond."

"Right, Zelgadiss... embrace my rejections and move on, I heard you before."

"No, enjoy what you have and lighten up on the expectations. Which reminds me..."

"Time for practice."

"Yeah, then what do ya have ta do tonight?"

"Well, there is that math final..." Xelloss smiled. "What would you like to do?"

"Pool challenge!" Zel and Val cried out with a hand-slap.

"Gourry, too?"

"Sure, why not? I'll ask him."

"No, let me. I want to talk to him anyway," Xelloss said as he followed the others to the door.

"All right. By the way, I'm glad to see you guys are getting along better these days. You think Candy's been good for that?"

Xelloss smiled. "Lina's magical, but Candy works miracles."

"Yeah," Val added with a punch to Xelloss' head (missing). "Just keep in mind that there's always more fish in the sea..."

**

* * *

Fishing for Trouble **

"I have had enough of your silly games, Daniel."

"Oh, Sherra-dear calm down. You don't hear me dissing yours now, do you? Oh...I'll take that..."

"Go ahead... You leave me nothing! I spend time setting up an intricate ploy, and then you louse it up...every time!"

"My dear, don't blame your mistakes on me. You have to play the hand you are dealt. And if you let one get away...slip through your fingers...well...you wanted to play the game with me, so cut your losses and get out before you lose more. Oh..." the man hesitated. Head of the Grauscherra dynasty, he was still young, handsome, and planning to live a long, if practically frivolous, life. "You've been losing a lot of money too."

"The bigger the risk, the bigger the return. The bait must be the right kind and value to reel in the catch."

He sighed. "Well, are you going to make your play or not? It's getting late and I'd like to watch the late-night show."

"Sure, okay then... Do you have any...Jacks?" Sherra asked hesitantly.

"No! Go fish!" The man laughed, picked up the discarded card and laid out his entire hand. "Done! Finally! I thought you'd ever give me that card."

"You knew I had that?"

"Of course I did! It is my deck we're playing with."

"You cheated! You would cheat even me?"

"My dear, it's only a simple card game. Don't be too upset. Now, pay up for all you are holding and let's have a nice drink. You make the drinks. I'll turn on the TV."

"Yeah, such an effort on your part. Click a button," she sniffed, but counted out a couple bills and stood to go pour two glasses of wine.

"Nothing is worth any more effort than that, Sherra-dear. Remember that, and you'll live a long, healthy life."

* * *

From the Authors: 

We have been requested to provide a simple explanation for this the multi-chaptered story (NEXT) in the SHJinx series. First, this story revolves around four interwoven plots:

. Band troubles- getting famous plus interactions

. Xelloss' penance for not protecting Hokuto (and for putting off the syndicate problem in general) is to take care of Subaru at shrine

. Lina vs Xelloss and Gourry et al… romancing her

. Grauscherra and the syndicate returns

The single uniting theme for the entire series (all 3 so far) is the growth of the characters over time. This is the second year together and much of the time is spent reflecting on that and marking changes, sometimes brief, sometime sharply contrasted. Mostly, we see how one small change can affect the entire world, like a ripple effect, which is in essense Chaos theory.

To do this we use several plot lines, some of which are obvious, like the main ones above,and many minor and yet to come. Each chapter attempts to work in the themes and the plots in a little story of its own. Sometimes there is action, sometimes not. As with the cannon series, there are times when the story goes a bit surrealistic. Pardon us for that diversion and please be patient if seems rather long… We will try really hard to make it up to you in future chapters!

Thank you all for continuing to read our story and for all you valuable feedback!

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 30.


	31. Promises, Promises

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 31 **

**Promises, Promises…**

"You are becoming a devious guy." --Xelloss to Zelgadiss

* * *

Practice had been uneventful, being mostly a sort-and-pack meeting in preparation for their recording date. There would be school the next day, and then they would load the vans and leave from Amelia's. Atlas City here we come! Again.

The pool game, which Val, Zel, and Xelloss had planned on their way over to practice, had become an 'un-event' that evening, too. Gourry passed on the invitation to join them; he had other plans loosely involving Lina, he hoped. Then Zelgadiss remembered that he and Xelloss had 'syndicate monitoring' to catch up on and so declined for the both of them, leaving Val to contemplate his possibilities. Filia saw an opportunity and latched onto him for a ride home. And that, as they say, was that for the pool parlor.

Lina and Gourry were in his truck winding down from the mayor's mansion.

"I'm pretty hungry still. Wanna get a donut or somethin'?" Gourry posed the innocent question as if he hadn't practiced this scenario in his head dozens of times since he had the idea to do it. Asking Lina out was not a simple task, if you wanted her to say 'yes'. Sometimes a casual approach worked best, other times a more studied or sophisticated one. Today, Lina had seemed more irritable than usual. This was going to be a little of each.

"Donut? Just one, heh, heh...sure. Who knows when and what's fer dinner right?" It wasn't as if she didn't know a diversionary tactic when she heard one, but she didn't expect one coming from Gourry at the moment.

"Roast with mashed potatoes and peas. Always what mom always cooks on Thursday night. Wednesday's chicken, Tuesday's pasta, Monday's..."

"I get it already! Yer mom's got a schedule worked out, but you're getting me hungry! Polly's is right down that street."

Gourry smiled, but made it look carefree, not smug like he felt right then with his little victory under his belt. He cruised into a parking space and released his safety belt. Lina already had her door open. "Don't lag behind, Gourry!"

Xelloss, Gourry recalled, had had considerable luck at this place. "Wanna drink, too?" He asked politely, seeing that she had picked out a dozen assorted 'goodies.'

"Milk!"

"Two," he added as he shelled out ten dollars at the counter.

Lina had whisked the tray of treats to a tiny window seat for two, leaving him the milks to contend with. Somehow everything fit. Gourry let her take the first one, but then even his chivalrous attitude broke down and he dove in, ending with a mild tussle for the last one. "You have it, Lina. I better leave room fer dinner."

She nodded, swiped and shoved it whole into her gaping maw... Her period had started that day, and it made her peckish...and easily annoyed...and tired.

"Weather calls fer snow in the mountains. Hope not much 'cause that'd make the road to Atlas City slow tomorrow."

Lina nodded. "Right. And as excited as I am to get our CD made, I would like to get it done early so we have some free time before classes start up again. Winter break will be gone before we know it."

Her voice sounded a bit sad, Gourry thought. "Oh, it'll go great, Lina. And we got a couple days of in the middle when the place is closed for solstice stuff. We can either come back here or stay there and explore the city."

"I vote for staying there. It'll give Luna more time out at the settlement without worrying about what to do with me, plus I like the exploring part of what you said." Indeed, her eyes were glowing in a familiar way again. "What about you? Your mom and dad probably want you to be around to help control your little brothers, huh?"

Gourry smiled. "Not this year. Joey's got that duty and my sisters can help too. They're all gettin' older and not so much trouble like they used to be. Alfie's quieter than Joey ever was and Chuckie's got a good friend he likes to hang out with. He's pretty mature fer a little kid. So...I told 'em I'd be stayin' in the city 'til the recordin' was done."

"Oh? So, that's...great, huh? Too bad Sylphiel and Filia have to go back."

"Xelloss, too," Gourry added, feeling more pleasure in that knowledge than he wanted to let creep into his voice.

"Yeah, him too. He said he arranged transportation for them all to save time, whatever that might be. That leaves just you and me and Zel and Amelia– at least she thinks she's staying with us, though I wouldn't be surprised if she tagged along with them at the last minute. I mean, she loves that parade, grand-show stuff!"

"And Val."

"Yeah, I gotta talk to him about that. He owes it to Milgasia and the Ul Copt's ta show up to their clan's function with all it's falderal he's been contributing to all week." Lina sat back and patted her full stomach with satisfaction. "He shouldn't mess up that connection."

Gourry nodded in agreement, although, Lina's imperfect notions of what constituted duty often confounded him, this was one point they could agree on. "Yeah, I told him that, too. He told me ta...um...leave off. But I think he was thinkin' more about it."

"Good for you. That's what I need, a little help. Yeah, I guess I can always count on you," she said with a sigh.

Gourry glowed. "I'm glad ya feel that way about me, Lina. You know, I told ya I'd always be there for you, and I still...ya know...mean it. A promise is a promise." Before he said too much, he wisely stopped and tacked to a new direction. "I was thinkin' about we could do there...in Atlas City this time? An' I got a list of events, if yer interested...here." He pulled out a thin newspaper from his inner jacket pocket and handed it over.

Their hands brushed as Lina took the paper. It was distractingly warm from the close contact with his chest. "Uh...yeah..." The back of her hand tingled from the contact. She couldn't miss how her simple compliments had added warmth to his tone as well_. Was this love? Was Gourry really in love?_ If so, how did she feel?

"An' on the last pages are some of those re-sale shops and an ad for..."

"Outlet Plaza! I forgot about that place. Hey, this is great, Gourry! This place might have all kinds of things for the play. Zel would know or could get Xelloss' list...no...Xelloss has no lists... Anyway, this'll be a terrific place to go. Okay, so that's set. Now for the entertainment portion of our stay..." She shook off the dizzying, confusing feelings she had just experienced and buried her face in the business at hand.

Gourry sat back, prepared to simply listen and nod appropriately. He had done his job and now Lina could take over. This day had been perfect and the next few weeks were shaping up nicely. Zel would be along so all the bad stuff would happen to him-- maybe Amelia, to keep Zel's mind off his problems... Gourry smiled at that. He shouldn't hope for Zel's dependable bad karma; it wasn't fair to his poor friend. Just true. If Zel was along things would go smoothly, for everyone but Zel. And if Xelloss wasn't with them, things would be great, maybe even for Zel. Who knows? Life was as good as you made it. Gourry knew that he couldn't change the world or even make a few things happen in the world of the Slayers, but he could ride out the bad times, do his part, do his best, and hope for the future. Well, he could try and make a few things work in his favor.

"Wanna come have dinner at my house? Mom said yer always welcome and she makes plenty. It's just that we outta be gettin' on and if you wanna look more at that paper thing..." He considered holding her hand. She'd let him do that once before.

"Dinner? Oh, yeah...sure. Good idea... Hey, isn't that Xelloss with Zel storming out of his car?"

Gourry looked again, and let out a sigh. Sure, why _not_? They were never far... At least…sigh… he got a _few_ minutes alone with Lina.

Prior to that, however, were events leading up to Zel and Xelloss' jaunt to the pastry shop. They had just driven back home after practice and Xelloss had suggested that they play a few rounds of chess before tasting the dinner Mrs. Shearer had left for them. Zel wanted to, but duty restricted his activities more than Xelloss'. He needed to remind him. Often.

"We need to review the latest tidings from syndicate intelligence, Xelloss. Mail has been heavy and the encoding dense lately. I haven't had time to read it all."

"Gotcha!" Xelloss settled into his desk and began his scanning. "You weren't kidding. New code. Let's see if we can find a translator on a database...something new... Here try this one."

"All right...I'm running this one long one through. It's pretty garbled. Keep looking."

"Who's it from? Is that legible?"

"Ah...ends in 'ra' and there's an 'e' in there as well," Zel answered. "Whoa...I see your name here."

"Grauscherra, probably. Here's another recent decoder; see if it helps."

A few minutes later, Zel found that if he ran the file through the second one first, followed by the first, he could decipher about sixty percent of the writing. "It's mostly nonsense at the beginning, a jumble of words, and then it gets serious. Oh... wow... it says...

Metallium– leads good, marked

Seyruun- agent down, marked

Inverse- tagged

Gabriev- tagged

Gaav- N/A

Graywords- monitor, agent in place

Ul Copt- , action needed

Lahda- , action needed

That's what's easy to make out."

Xelloss read over Zel's shoulder, then said, "Oh my... What do you think the distinction is between 'marked' and 'tagged'?"

"What bothers me is that 'agent in place' phrase."

"Dilgear."

"Who? Oh, that guy. He's a grad student of Rezo's moonlighting for some security company. I don't think..."

"You did run a check on the guy, didn't you?" Xelloss pushed him aside and took over his computer. There was a hint of disgust in his voice that caused Zel to blush with embarrassment.

"Well, no..." Zel shook his head with chagrin. "I've known him for years..."

"How well? As well as me? You'd known me for years, too, and I was syndicate," Xelloss reminded him. "I thought you'd already done this or I wouldn't have let him stay this long!" Xelloss hadn't bothered to hide his irritation this time. Zel had let him down.

"I knew 'of' you. I've only known you one year and two months and two weeks and one day and six hours approximately." Zel knew he was only trying to cover for his blunder. He hoped that he hadn't endangered them all for ignoring the obvious and trusting an outsider.

"I _seems_ like years to me." Xelloss was intent on this work, but his tone had softened.

"It certainly _feels_ like years..." Zel sighed. Since his friend didn't appear about to fly off the handle at him, he tried a little humor and openness. "You know this time last year we were hostages of DuBois and facing a hospital stay. I thought you were going to die that time." He cleared his throat and changed topics, acutely aware of how close he was to sounding maudlin. "I can't believe our last confrontation with the syndicate, with Mazenda and Kanzel, didn't land someone at Seyruun General, like all of our other clashes with the syndicate. What's that...?"

Xelloss leaned back from the monitor and met Zel's eyes with a sigh of frustration. "I couldn't find a direct syndicate link, but then I haven't dug deep. I'm checking his bank account."

"Oh! And how are you going to do that?" Zel asked, and then realized that had just stepped into that. Why fight it? He had to make up for his negligence. "Ah…so… What do you want me to do?"

"Tell him you'd like to handle his pay directly and that you want to do direct deposits to his account. If he's smart, he'll turn you down, but he doesn't strike me as the smartest grad in the chem department. Hopefully he'll give you his bank deposit slip." Xelloss smiled and gestured to the door.

"This had better be worth it...then again, I hope he's innocent," Zel muttered on his way out.

A few minutes later, Zel returned, paper in hand. "Here, hope you're satisfied. Oh, and you'd better transfer $3000 into the account if you don't want to tip him off."

"You are becoming a devious guy," Xelloss smiled.

"Don't remind me..." he muttered although secretly he was pleased with the compliment. "What?"

"Bingo! Look at these deposits!"

"I don't see any...oh, I get it. He gets paid quarterly by the university and monthly by the Security Agency and...damn...two extra deposits...both for $3000. Not bad weekly salary to spy on our house." He nodded to his friend in acknowledgement of his accurate assessment of the situation and quick wits. "I'm sorry. I hope my misplaced trust hasn't put any of us in more danger."

"I hope so, too! But don't feel too bad. I can't imagine that he's learned much, if anything, in so short a time and maybe we can make this all work to our advantage."

Zel's eyes widened as new possibilities came to mind. "Like feeding him false information?"

"Something like that…I'm gonna call Sylphiel," Xelloss announced. "I don't like that 'action needed' notation."

While Xelloss was dialing, Zel picked up his cell phone. "I'll try Filia."

"Val's driving them back to the settlement tonight."

"Good. He can keep and eye on her...Filia? Yes, it's Zel. Sorry, it's the only voice I have. Yes, I have a purpose for calling you. Are you home yet? Oh...well we have reason to believe that... Us. Xelloss and I. We've been following some mail trails and you are mentioned by name. We think you are in danger. Ah...can I talk to Val..._please_?"

"Hello? Mr. Nels Lahda? Xelloss here. Fine, thank you, and you? That's good. Ah…I just tried getting Sylphiel on her cell phone but I got no answer. I was wondering... in the shower? Oh, no...don't bother getting her out. Have her call me later, but...well...Zelgadiss and I have found a syndicate-related memo, of sorts, highlighting her name with the notation "action needed'. No, I'm not sure what it means precisely, but I know she's in some kind of danger. The attack on the mayor using his nephew was the 'action' used to identify Lina, Gourry, and Amelia, at least the notation here indicates something like that. Oh, no. I don't think that canceling the recording date would be good idea. We'll hire bodyguards or security. Yes, like the one Rezo did but...different. I promise. We don't _take_ chances, Mr. Lahda. Okay...sure...night then."

"Val, Filia is in danger. We can only guess... Yes, like the Mazenda/Kanzel thing. Both she and Sylphiel. It's on an inter-office syndicate e-mail Xelloss and I just decoded. No, you they've marked as 'not available'. The Agares name change was the best idea you ever had. That's right. We think...you and Milgasia should stay over at Filia's and of course she won't agree... Right. I'll let you take care of that. Have him call us when you get in if there's any doubt how serious ... _Yes_, we consider this a serious threat. All right then... Bye."

Zel and Xelloss exchanged 'what next?' expressions. "You call Lina at home, I'll call Gourry," Zel said.

Xelloss smiled, "Okay..."

After a couple rings, her sister answered. "Luna here!"

Xelloss explained, "Ah, I thought this was Lina's cell phone. Sorry. I must have dialed home instead."

"No, this is her cell phone, Xelloss. She left it on the sofa. Probably fell outta her backpack and she couldn't bother picking it up last night. I know, that's a mistake. I'll remind her, you can _bet_. So, I haven't seen your handsome face around for a long time. As I hear it, you have a girlfriend."

"Ah...yes, I do, but... Luna, this is actually an important call..." He outlined briefly why he was trying to get a hold of Lina. "...So she's been ID'ed. She needs to be wary...I know, she's tough. Would you have her call me when she gets in. Oh, Gourry was taking her home from practice so she might be either at his house or eating, just a guess... Ha! Yes, I know her pretty well! Thanks, bye to you too!"

Xelloss turned to Zel who was just getting off the phone with Gourry's parents. With a sigh Zel told him, "He's not home yet and he doesn't answer his cell phone. Get Lina?"

"No, she left her phone at home. I talked to Luna and it seems Lina's not home either. I told Luna they're probably at Gourry's or eating..."

Xelloss' cell phone rang, "Yes? Yeah, Zelgadiss called there too and they're not there. Okay...We'll check Amelia's then the old neighborhood and...the park? Okay, keep in touch. Thanks for calling, Luna...Oh, well...I...care...too...bye." He grabbed his coat and ran after Zel, who was already starting his car.

With Zel at the helm, they cruised the streets looking for 'lurkers' and Xelloss called Amelia.

"Amelia speaking! What?"

"Amelia? I can't hear you very well. Bad connection or something. Hold on, I'll call back."

"No don't! It's just...that's the water in the background. I'm in the shower. I always take my phone with me and keep it charged just like I promised, because you and Zelgadiss told me to. What? Okay...I'll hold..."

"Hey Zelgadiss! Amelia's in the shower...right this moment. Want to talk to her? She has her phone in the shower with her! Ha, ha... No, I'm not actually going to let you visualize that and talk and drive at the same time!" Xelloss laughed and then returned to his 'callee'. "I was just informing Zelgadiss of your situation. Too bad, he's driving so you'll have to be satisfied with me. So...tell me...are you all soapy or... Ouch!"

"Get on with it!" Zel warned him with a slug to the arm.

"Ooooh, Zelgadiss hit me and you screamed in my ear!" Xelloss whined. "Well, um...I was calling for an important thing. We're trying to locate Lina or Gourry. Yes, they left together we know that... You think possibly... Polly's Pastries and Pies? Sounds...perfect! Okay, thanks. We'll go there next. Thanks...Why? Well...it looks like Filia and Sylphiel may be in danger, but now we haven't been able to get in touch with either Lina or Gourry..."

He continued to jabber on to Amelia, filling her in on what they'd discovered, until they reached their old neighborhood.

"Isn't that Gourry's truck? Yes! Gotta go Amelia!" Xelloss opened the car door the moment Zel set the brake, and then they both flew to the pastry shop door.

"Lina!"

"Gourry, where's your cell phone!" Zelgadiss shouted.

Gourry pulled it out, then with a self-conscious look said, "Right here, but...um...battery's gone dead. Guess I forgot ta recharge it last night."

Zel sighed and collapsed at a table. Stressed to the limit, he simply rested his head on his arms and practiced his deep-breathing relaxation exercises.

"Lina left hers at home and yours... is dead," Xelloss shook his head with disappointment. "We were worried something had happened to you."

"Yeah? So we were outta touch a few minutes. It's not like we hadn't seen each other five minutes ago..." Lina started in, her defenses up.

"One hour and forty-six minutes ago," Zel supplied, still face down on the table.

"Okay, about two hours ago. So?" Lina looked at Xelloss for some explanation.

"Zelgadiss and I decoded a file, a recent file, from Grauscherra to someone, someplace I haven't deciphered yet. We couldn't figure out much, but what we did was disturbing, to say the least..."

"You haven't told us much yet..." Lina grumbled and using all her very limited forbearance, especially under her current physical conditions, not to just kick him into getting to his point.

"I was just getting to that..." Xelloss smiled faintly. He recited the text, pointing out that every one of the Slayers, with Val the one possible exception, was susceptible to some form of harm or harassment now that they were being targeted by the syndicate. "We wanted to alert everyone and to especially contact... Oh, lets hope that call is her now... Hello? Ah, yes, Sylphiel. I was hoping it would be your lovely voice I heard next."

Xelloss held the phone out from his ear mouthing 'shrieking' to the others and fanning his ear dramatically. Lina ripped the phone out of his hand and barked Sylphiel to silence. After a brief conversation, where Lina tried to convince her excitable friend that the danger was not on them AT THAT MOMENT, she hung up and sent the phone skittering across the table back at Xelloss. "Done," she announced.

Xelloss took up his phone and was about to thank her when one of the shop owners approached him. "Xelloss? Why... I haven't seen you in a long time, my boy."

"Oh, hi! I'm sorry I haven't been by in a long while, but since we moved, it's not so convenient."

"Ah, and since little Kiki's been away it hasn't been quite so attractive a place for you either, eh? Heh, heh… Well, the news isn't good. She won't be here until after the holidays...maybe a few days before, if she can push her folks out the door sooner. Her mother wanted to finish the semester in Paris, then her grading, then come here in time for the second semester at Seyruun university. But of course...you know all that...seeing as how you are...so close and how you kids have all that e-mail and internet stuff these days for your secret communiqués...heh, heh..."

"Ahhh, yes. Mostly I think Amelia, the mayor's daughter, has been writing to Kiki, but I'm glad to know they'll be here soon. This is Gourry Gabriev who did a lot of the work on their house." Smooth as ever, Xelloss transferred attention off himself to another. But not for long. Zelgadiss was lost in thought, Gourry had little to say, and Lina never seemed to want to help him out of tough spots any more, so the conversation was thrown back into Xelloss' court. He began to tell stories.

"When I was a little boy, I remember my teacher...kindergarten maybe, saying that she was going to test us to see how well we follow directions. She asked that only the not-so-smart students stand up. So, I stood up. She said, 'Xelloss, so you don't think you are very smart?' And I replied, 'No, it wasn't that, but I didn't want her to be the only one standing.' That got me sent to the principal's office for the first time...that day. I wore out a path to that office that year...and the next from my next classroom... and the next...and every year from there on out."

Kiki's uncle laughed. "Ah, ha! That was an old joke. Good, but old. Well, I see more customers coming in. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of you soon!"

"Bye," Xelloss said weakly. He wondered at that entire conversation.

So did Lina, apparently. "What was that all about?"

And Zelgadiss. "What did he mean by 'secret communiqués'? Is there something we should know about, or are you keeping secrets from us again?"

Xelloss frowned at them all. Why hadn't they asked the man when he was sitting here? Why hadn't they joined in? Why were they all looking at him as if he were at fault here? "I have no idea what any of you are referring to!" He stood and announced. "I'm walking home."

Gourry followed him out the door with his eyes, and then with a hand, stopped Zelgadiss from chasing after him. "He'll be back."

"Oh?" Lina raised an eyebrow. "You a Clairvoyant now?"

"Claire, who? Oh, yeah...fortuneteller. Nah, he probably just fergot he moved and mile away and besides...just take a look outta the clean part of the window."

"It's...SNOWING!" Lina said with a gleeful shout.

Zelgadiss stood at the glass door, opening it for Xelloss on his return moments later. He had completely forgotten why he'd run out; hurt feelings pushed away to make room for the fun notions flooding his brain. "It's snowing out there!" he laughed and danced around.

"No school tomorrow, if it keeps up," Gourry noted.

"Good. Then we can leave sooner. The vans have chains. We'll get there in time for a late lunch if we leave here at seven..." Zel computed.

"Seven? In the _morning_!" Lina croaked. All her aches and pains were monstrously worse all of the sudden.

"All you have to do is dress yourself and wait at your door," Zel pointed out with no little antipathy toward her sluggish attitude. "Less than for a regular school morning."

"Not exactly _all_..." she muttered.

"Maybe we can get to work on that CD sooner?" Gourry said hopefully. "The sooner the better, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. Well, time ta go. Take me home, Gourry ...ah...for dinner."

"Bye," Xelloss waved and held open the door for her. "Have fun!"

Gourry assured him, "We will."

Xelloss suddenly felt left out of Lina's inner circle again, and if he was to put a finger on it, he would have to say Gourry was the cause.

"Come on. We'd better get back while the roads are still safe to drive on. My car has no chains." Zel tugged on his friend's sleeve and directed him outside.

"O-kay do-kay!"

Val's Suburban did have chains, but they were in the back on the floor under a tarp and not on the tires, naturally...it wasn't snowing when he had left the mayor's place. The snow began as they reached the outskirts of the Cephied clan settlement. Val put in a new CD and loud music roared from the twin amps in back.

Filia winced. "Slow down," she cautioned him for the third time. "The roads get icy here because of the riiisinnnng ...ahhhhhh!"

Filia's scream ended when the spinning vehicle came to an abrupt halt. The van listed slightly to the right.

"Where did that fer come from!" Val yelled. "If I hadn't swerved...he woulda smashed us! Filia? Filia! Are you all right!"

"Ughhh," was all she managed.

Val unhooked the seat belts, jumped out of his car, and raced around to her side. He ripped open her door and wrapped her in his arms. "Filia..."

A welt was rising over her temple. "My head hurts..."

"Yeah, hold on, lemme get you moved." He slid open the side door and returned to her. "I'm gonna move ya to the back seat here. Let me know if anythin' I do hurts ya."

After a grunt or two, from him mostly, he had her stretched out. "Yer gotta bump here." He tried to remember everything Zel or Xelloss had told him about head injuries. "Can you see okay? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Filia looked him straight in the eye. "None, you idiot. You have one hand in my hair and the other on the back of the seat. Oh...it just hurts, that's all. Is the car okay? Can you get us the rest of the way home?"

"I'll get you there. Promise."

"That call of Zel's...his warning of possible...trouble. You don't think that driver was trying to run us off the road, or anything, do you?" Filia asked.

She was seated at the table at home holding a bag of ice to her head and sipping at her hot tea. Milgasia and her father were talking in the hallway joining the kitchen to the front room.

"I said I did, and I meant it. That's why I'm here and Mil too. That car came outta nowhere..." Val replied.

"Actually, there are a couple of small side roads out that way. It's too dark and too snow-covered to tell anything, or I'd go out with you now and check it out," Milgasia said.

"I thought you agreed with me that it was just an unfortunate accident?" Mr. Ul Copt did not want his child beset by danger once again.

"And it most likely was. It's just...the driver didn't stop to help or see if the kids were okay. Coming from that direction, if it were clan, they'd have stopped. Anyone would have stopped...should have stopped, unless..."

"Unless it was some fool kid driving wild and scared to death..." Ul Copt grumbled.

"Or some syndicate hit man scarin' the shit outta us to...to...to test me... I don't know what...It didn't prove shhhh..."

"Val!" Filia knew he was stressed out, but the language was not suitable.

"What did he figure I'd _do_? Roll a _Suburban_? Gaav wasn't good fer much, but he did have some dudes train me ta drive good. Oh... Well, I ain't the _only_ dude that knows how ta drive right. Don't prove _nothin_'!"

"I agree with you son," Milgasia said kindly. Trying to mollify a wound-up Val was tough. "But just in case, you and I will be staying here and I have the patrols up at the borders. I don't want someone thinking that they can enter the settlement to dig up some evidence confirming your identities and connection to last summer's events...and the spring before." He pulled the ice pack away and examined Filia's bump. "Not pretty. Lets hope they put off the photo session for the cd covers until after the festivals."

"Ohhhh!" she moaned. "I hadn't even thought about that! How awful do I look?"

Val smiled making the lines of worry smooth out at last. "Ya look beautiful, Fil." Best of all, he had really meant it.

Rodimus was driving the Slayers; Zolf with Dilgear guided the van of valuable musical equipment. This time they were taking everything that they preferred over the studio's equipment offerings; it comprised their most precious personal effects, thus the added 'security' of Dilgear's presence. Lina, Zel, Gourry, and Xelloss were grouped together in the back, heads together.

"I'm thinking 'proactive' here," Lina told the others on their way to Atlas City the next morning. Her back was bothering her from cramps, not improved from the aspirins she'd taken for her headache earlier, but after stop for breakfast to-go her aches and pains were _soothed, _somewhat.

"Oh?" Xelloss cocked his head, curious as to what Lina could mean. He hadn't said anything to her about his and Zelgadiss' discovery concerning Dilgear's duplicity. He wondered if Zelgadiss had and looked up examining his friends face. But Zel's eyes remained hooded, his face betraying no emotions. No, Zel had told her nothing, he was sure.

"Instead of waiting for the next syndicate attack, I say let's make the next move and attack _them_!" she clarified.

"That's what I thought you meant." Xelloss rubbed his temples. "Listen, it isn't that easy. First, you have to know who to go after. I mean, you don't just go up to someone you suspect and punch them out and tie them up. Pick the wrong person and you'd be dead. The leadership may be thinned out currently, but the underlings are following someone's directives. Secondly, by attack... Do you mean...?"

"You know the 'who', or know how to find out _whom_. I bet you know at _least_ three syndicate people right now, don't you?" Lina was insistent and evasive at the same time. Three was a guess-- one more than she was certain of (Sherra and Grauscherra).

"Ah...it's a secret," he uttered seconds before Lina's bony little fingers began to wring his neck. At that magical time of the month, Lina's patience vaporized on contact with a test of it.

"Stop that." Zelgadiss separated the two, receiving a growl in return from Lina. "I know of some, but I don't think attacking him...or her...makes any sense. But...don't interrupt me, Lina...we could play a trick on them to expose them or make fun of them."

"Making them lose face would be very damaging," Xelloss agreed. He smiled, relieved that Zel's train of thoughts was paralleling his own for a change. "Okay, Lina, we can play a game with one and see how you like it, okay?"

Lina nodded. "I wanna part in this, a _big_ one, got that?"

"Yes, you'll be the lead character," Xelloss assured her.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Gourry submitted. "We don't want anything to happen to her."

"Well, then..." Xelloss looked him in the eye, "..._we'd_ better play our parts perfectly, right?"

Gourry was about to take exception again, when Lina said, "You bet you will. Now, who will be first? Grauscherra or..."

"Shhhh..." Xelloss pressed a finger to her lips. "No names just yet. I have an idea, but I'd like to discuss it with Zelgadiss and Gourry and...Val first. It needs to come as a surprise to you, Lina, I think, to look real...but Gourry will need to know what's going on. He and Val may both be needed so that things don't get messy."

"Messy?" Lina's eyes narrowed.

Gourry pulled a bag of potato chips out of a large grocery bag and recommended Lina go up front and pass them around. That Xelloss had some underhanded plot up his sleeve involving Lina had him troubled, however, he was consoled by the fact that he wanted to include not only Zel and Val but himself in the planning. That had to count for something in his favor, and so, he decided to go along with him.

Lina knew that Gourry was just trying to get rid of her, and as old as that 'divert Lina with food' thing was getting, she went along with it knowing that she could pressure the plan out of him later. On the way, she bumped Val's arm and signaled him.

"Zel wants you."

"Oh?"

"Xelloss, too."

"Oh...right." Val released Filia's hand– to which he'd been glued all morning– and crept carefully to the open seat on Zel's side. "Whatsup?"

Once Lina was out of earshot and Val in place, Xelloss began. "Dilgear is a syndicate plant. Rezo doesn't know it, of course. They are both just a pawns in the game. The syndicate uses guys like that up...Alfred was another, although, it seems to me he was more of an asset than he was used for– another reason why I think whoever is in charge is not a seasoned veteran. Sloppy...nearsighted. I mean, _I _could do a much better job!" Xelloss smiled and chuckled.

Gourry cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. "Go on…"

"In fact, I _have_...but...that's not the point. We need to set him up, make him look bad, maybe reflect poorly on whoever it is that has hired him, hopefully flush him or her out."

Val nodded. "_Lina_ wants this?"

"Yep!"

"Dilgear, huh? Well, he likes chicks...a lot, but his luck with 'em ain't hot. I noticed him eyein' Lina this mornin'."

"Yeah, I about punched his lights out," Gourry grumbled.

"He also answers to Zelgadiss first. So, if Zelgadiss were to get him into a compromising situation..."

"_Me_? What do you mean?" Zel interrupted Xelloss.

Xelloss smiled. "Oh, yes...I think we'll go for it tonight..."

Before settling into the house (Bobby's Uncle's place again), the Slayers met up with their other van at Macross Studios. Everything was unloaded and set up. Getting there early put them a whole day ahead, so they took their time to do things the right way and not rush the recording process. It would be a day of test runs anyway.

They couldn't really sing with full stomachs, but Lina wasn't working without one, so eat they did, hotly dispensing with Zelgadiss' arguments against it.

"What if fans mob us? I personally do not want to get torn apart today," he said loudly enough for everyone around them in the studio to hear.

"I'm not hiding from the world," she snapped back venonmously. "That's _your_ schtick!"

Amelia wondered at them. Didn't Zelgadiss know better than argue with Lina when she was hungry and during _that time of the month_?

Zel's turn to flinch at her attack. "All I am suggesting is that one of us go and get food and bring it back here. There's no reason for all of us to go out and draw attention to ourselves. Now if you can't see the logic in that, then… I'd say you were becoming a regular dumb _girl_ like the rest."

Amelia felt Filia bristle at her side. Hastily, Amelia whispered to her, "I don't think he was including us in that statement, although…I can't figure out why he's being so..."

"Cutting?" Filia asked. "I guess he's just getting tired of being nice for a change and has to lash out at someone. Be glad it's Lina, who can and will defend herself."

From the sidelines Zolf and Rodimus tried to remove themselves from the scene with some dignity. Dilgear chuckled into Rodimus' ear, "Looks like the guy's got some balls to stand up ta that hot little chickie."

But Rodimus simply shook his head and returned to work.

Lina's face turned scarlet. "Okay, you stay here and hide. I'm goin' out with all my _dumb_ friends! Come on, guys. Let's go get somethin' ta eat!"

Gourry walked by Zel, squeezing his shoulder as his passed to join Lina in the lead. Val took Filia by the arm and moved her away before she could give Zel a piece of her mind.

Xelloss, seeing a pattern here, place his arm over Amelia's shoulders. "He'll come along, don't worry. He just doesn't want to see you get hurt, you know?"

"Thanks, Mr. Xelloss." She flashed Xelloss a smile thinking that he was a comfort at times.

"Zelgadiss?" Sylphiel whispered shyly. "You okay? Would you walk with me in case I slip? The ice is really hard for me to see. My father thinks I might need glasses, but ooooh…that's just too terrible for me to even think about! Me in glasses! Of course, I could get contacts, I suppose, but…you know…"

Zel sighed and fell into step behind Xelloss and Amelia. "You'd look nice in glasses. A beautiful girl is beautiful, no matter what."

Her eyelashes fluttered in astonishment. Had Zelgadiss just complimented her? "Really? That's really…nice of you to say!" _Especially after the way you spoke to Lina…_

Later, they returned to the studio and put in a few more hours of testing, and then they broke for dinner, shopped for groceries, and moved into their house. Dilgear was to sleep on the pullout couch in the den, while Zolf and Rodimus found a place near the studio where they had old friends to visit. The plan was to return to the studio at seven and attempt recording until closing at midnight.

Zelgadiss ripped into Lina first thing in the door. "Give me the keys. All of them, including the car out back."

"No," she snapped back. "Why do you want them?"

"I had the car keys before. I want them again. They make me forget my car's back in Seyruun. Now, hand them over."

"Are they really _that_ valuable to you?" Lina teased. She didn't know what had gotten into Zel, but she wasn't going to give him anything of value. That was for her to control. She hadn't forgotten or forgiven him for his obnoxious behavior earlier, although she'd been willing to just caulk it up to another 'Zel attack', and leave it to smolder. Well, if he wanted to stoke the fires again, then …

"Yes. _What_? You want me to _pay_ you for them? I'll do that, just name your price."

"$5000." Lina smiled and looked smug.

"_What_! They're just keys! That's a ridiculous amount." He checked his watch. "Listen, I have to go now and start dinner, but I'll be back, and when I return you'll give me those keys or...I'll make you pay." That was lame, he knew, but he hadn't really thought out what he should say.

"Yeah, sure!" she laughed and turned her back on him. On her way to the game console arena where Amelia and Filia were gathered, she noted Dilgear's eyes following her. She didn't like his leer.

Val unloaded groceries, while Sylphiel and Xelloss were put to chopping duty. Gourry washed salad makings and Zelgadiss rinsed and measured dried beans into a pot, then added water. He put the pot on the burner and turned it up. "Dinner for tomorrow in process. Now for tonight...are those potatoes ready?"

"W-What do you want me to do with them?" Sylphiel asked. She was astonished by his abrupt change in demeanor, but seeing as how Gourry and Xelloss weren't commenting on it, she wouldn't either. "Boil or bake?"

"Bake."

"Can I toss'em with olive oil and seasoning, that okay with you?"

"Fine. Would you keep track of them then so they don't burn up?"

"Uh, huh..."

"Got anythin' for me ta grate?" Val chuckled.

"Actually, yes. There's a block of cheese setting on the counter. About a cup...to here. Thanks. Xelloss? Broccoli?"

"I just finished the onions, peppers, and tomatoes. You want broccoli, _too_?"

"Ye-es, for tonight. The other things go in the soup later. I need the broccoli now, er...soon."

"O-kay..." Xelloss tossed the bag of green to Gourry. "Wash'em; Zelgadiss' orders."

"Right..." Gourry grinned. "Lettuce is ready fer a spin dry. I'll do that after."

Zelgadiss was melting a nub of butter and measuring some flour and milk for a cream sauce. "See if there's any nutmeg in the cupboard, would you, Sylphiel?"

"Cheese is done," Val announced victoriously. "Want this in that pan of bubblin' stuff?"

"I'll do that!" Zel would not trust a cheese sauce in Val's hands yet. "You can halve pears and core them...put them in that bowl of water with the lemon floating in it."

"Do _what_?"

"Xelloss can show you how. Nutmeg? Wonderful. Just about...half a teaspoon...now. Thanks, Sylphiel."

"What should I do next? I can do caramelized pears. Would you like me to do that?" She liked this Zel and wanted to keep him occupied and complacent.

"Sylph...that would be terrific. Yeah."

"I can do it!" Val slapped at Xelloss' hands. "I got it the first time. Slice and scoop. No-brainer there..."

"Broccoli is ready!" Xelloss' call.

"I smell 'taters," Gourry reminded Sylphiel.

"Oh! I almost burned them up!" She wailed and dashed for the oven.

Xelloss beat her to it and, using potholders this time, pulled out the cookie sheet. "No, they're perfect! All browned and ummmm...oh my...I could eat them all right now."

She giggled. "Wait until you try my pears!"

"How about that broccoli, Xelloss? In the pot, please," Zel sighed. "Stay focused here guys. We need more than lettuce in that salad. Check the bag for a cucumber, radishes...mushrooms."

"'Kay." Gourry squeezed past the pear posse and rummaged through the bag. "Found'em."

"Wash, then give Xelloss the radishes..."

"Oh sure, give me all the tedious little tasks..." Xelloss mock-complained. He knew that he got those jobs because he cut them up exactly how Zel liked them– exactly how Zel had patiently taught him. He also knew that Zel was nervous. His hands were shaking after his altercation with Lina.

"That's right. Tedious tasks for tedious people. Ah...want to taste this and tell me what it needs?" Zel knew to amend his cutting remark with a complimentary one, and asking for a second opinion on his sauce was a compliment.

Xelloss smiled and took up a spoon. He blew on the sample and tasted. "Pepper and a little salt, that cheese is a little blander than what you usually use."

"Really?" Zel tasted a bit. "You're right. I couldn't find that one we got in Zephillia. That was a great goat cheese. All right, now try it. Better?"

"Yeah." He leaned closer and whispered, "That was good. You can do it, little brother." He straightened. "I'll set the table. Is anyone else free to help? No? Well, you know where the dining room is when you are..."

The meal was served and eaten with little conversation. Dilgear noted the lack of animal muscle. "No meat?"

"Not during Solstice, if we can help it. I can't cook to the clan's requirements but..." Zel began to explain.

"Ya better not or we'd all kill ya," Val put in. "It's star-va-tion time on the plan-ta-tion. Yer can getcher fill at lunch. Buy whatever yer wantin' then."

Dilgear looked to Zelgadiss for confirmation. Zel nodded. Dilgear sighed and speared a potato. "These are good."

Everything was, including the pears.

Filia and Amelia were on cleanup duty. So was Lina, but she was first head-to-head with an increasingly belligerent Zelgadiss. "So? Change your mind yet? Just hand them over," he ordered.

"I don't think so, Zel. There's not a chance in hell I'd give you _anything_ with that attitude!" Lina barked back. She had reached her limit with Zelgadiss. In fact, she'd already passed it with just about anyone else.

"I think...you need to ponder that decision over a little longer, in private!" Zel had been gearing up for what he had to do next. He hadn't had to test his strength or fighting skills against Lina for a very long time, and he wasn't looking forward to it now. With a sigh to start, he seized her wrists and clamped them together in one hand. With the other hand he patted her pockets down.

Teeth bared, Lina hissed, "Get yer hands offa me, bub, if ya treasure yer treasures!"

Zel knew he had to protect himself from a painful kick. "Keys not on you? Where did you put those keys, huh?" he asked while rapidly moving both hands to clamp her arms to her sides. "This way!" And he shoved her backwards out into the hallway.

It was so unexpected, that she hardly put up a fight– or maybe because he was such a good friend whom she knew so well as to guess that such remarkable, aberrant behavior on his part had to stem from something besides mere greed. He spun her around and manhandled her into one of the bedrooms before she could really land a good kick to… his shins. Once in the room, Zel noted with relief that Xelloss had done his job. Two men's ties were lying on the coverlet of the large four-poster bed. This had to be Bobby's aunt and uncle's bedroom. Great. He hoped nothing would get broken.

"Zel...what are you doing! I'll kill you, you know that!" she yelled.

With a push, he had Lina flattened on the bed. He sat on her hips. "Ensuring that you stay put," he told her with a smirk belying his deep seated fear that she really might follow through with her threat before he could subdue her. "So you can think about where you put those keys and give them to me."

She tried to buck him off, but, to her great offence, she found he had the better leverage and weight. Zel had grown. Her little friend was strong and agile. "You're...TYING ME UP! ZEL! Mumph"

He stuffed the corner of a pillow into her mouth. Quickly as possible, he tied one wrist to the bedpost, then the other, and then wished that he had more ties for her legs when she finally twisted a leg out and kicked him off the bed.

She spat out the gag. "GOURRY! KILL ZEL!"

Zel brushed himself off dramatically. He saw a dark shadow at the door. Someone knew his cues... "I don't think so... Ah, Dilgear. Miss Lina has something I want, something of mine, which she refuses to turn over. Maybe you can convince her?"

The man licked his lips and eyed her wolfishly. "If that's what you want..."

Lina glared at them both defiantly. "I've got nothing of yours. And there's no way I'm lettin' you get within..." She gaged the length of her striking distance a moment, then continued, "...four feet of me, you low-life scumball!"

Zel nodded to Dilgear and left the room.

Right outside the door stood Gourry and Val at the ready. Amelia, Filia, and Sylphiel filled the hallway beyond. Zelgadiss held a finger to his mouth signaling 'silence'. Then they waited.

Lina started screaming and cursing like a banshee. However, whatever he was doing to her was nothing like what she was doling out in return, judging from the grunts and moans coming from Dilgear. Both Val and Gourry looked like they were about to stampede right over Zel to get past him, but he stood his ground and pointed to his watch, 'not time yet.'

When a resounding slap was heard, which temporarily silenced Lina, the action took a new direction. "Got it!" cried a voice from within the bedroom, and it wasn't Lina's or Dilgear's.

Zel punched open the door with Val and Gourry on his heels. It took both of the bigger guys a split second at most to land on the man and shove him hard to the floor with more force than necessary, and hold him there.

Zel launched himself at Lina, untying her wrists and apologizing effusively over and over.

She finally convinced him to stop when she said, "Okay, okay...Hey, the only reason you got that far was because I letcher. I figured something was up. Why else do you think you got away with all this? You don't think you could really overpower me, do you?"

He was so relieved that she wasn't going to kill him that he forgot himself for just a second and he did something rare. He clasped her to his chest a moment and gave her a huge hug. "Thank you, Lina," he whispered. Realizing what he'd done, he released her instantly and fell backwards with a gasp. Without wasting another second, he scampered to his feet and raced out the door to hide in the kitchen...no...there's knives in there...bathroom...yes...lock door...

Xelloss closed the closet door where he'd been hiding, and handed his video camera to the closest person, which turned out to be Amelia. He withdrew his cell phone and called the police. "Yes, I'd like to report an assault and attempted rape at the following address..."

"I wasn't gonna do nothin' like that..." Dilgear grunted with effort. Gourry was a heavy man and so was Val and both were occupying the assailant's back while at the same time immobilizing his arms and legs.

Xelloss put a hand over the phone mouthpiece. "Ah...it is too bad. You can't find good help anywhere these days." He smiled and said directly to the man splayed on the floor, "I could just hang up, _if_ I had the right incentive." Xelloss continued to smile down at Dilgear, but now demanded in a harsh voice. "A name. Just one."

"What? What kinda name do you want?"

"The name of the person who hired you, of course."

"Rezo..."

"Seriously, now, Dilgear. If you have _any_ idea who I am, and I think you do because you are not a stupid man, then you _will_ tell me the name of your real employer. Quickly now!"

"I-I can't...I'd be killed. You _know_ that!"

"I am very good at keeping secrets. They will not discover my source. Besides... Would you _like _to know how many deaths I'm responsible for? I can add another..."

Dilgear resisted. "You won't kill me..."

Val bent an arm back painfully. Something snapped at the man's elbow. Dilgear let out a howl of pain. "Maybe not, but _I_ will..." Val growled menacingly.

"O-kay... b-but just Xel-loss," Dilgear gasped.

Xelloss knelt by his head, "Yes?"

The man whispered a name and Xelloss frowned and rose to his feet. He set the phone to his ear again. "Are you still holding? Pardon me. The address is dfggfh… … That's right. Thank you."

"You! You...but you _promised_! I _told_ you!" Dilgear sputtered in anger and fear.

"The name you gave me was bogus. If you change your mind, I might lose the tape or...well, you know how easily damaged these old videos can get, right? You have about ten minutes. In the meantime, would you girls like to review the tape in the other room while these guys just sit this one out awhile longer?"

The Slayers were late arriving back at the recording studio that night, but they made it. They even made a little progress on the music, which was good because they had had a very busy day, and it was not to be expected. Most importantly, Lina was satisfied. She was tired of being a target; playing the target was a lot more fun, especially when the outcome was so gratifying.

The arrest made front page news the next day. The security agency, a syndicate front organization, lost its credulity and licensing in one blow and was totally and utterly damaged beyond repair. Oh, yes, and somewhere some syndicate middle management officer was being disciplined for poor judgment, very poor judgment– she just knew it. Xelloss had told her it was so, and she believed him. And that made him feel good. Trust was everything, in the end. Well, that and keeping those promises that you trust IN.

One more point for the Slayers' team!

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 31.


	32. Diversionary Tactics

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 32 **

**Diversionary Tactics**

_"Bite it off! Bite it off already!" Lina screamed. _

* * *

The next few days flew by in a blur with a few notable events. One of these, they discovered with relief, was that as recognizable as they were, the Slayers found that they could walk the streets, shop, and eat resulting in only small disturbances. No masses of frenzied fans trying to tear them apart. Kids giggled and ran up to them for autographs and to say a word or two, but nothing like what they had endured in Sairaag, which compounded their belief that that had been one unnatural event. All things considered, the Slayers kept a low profile, minimizing their public appearances and traveling in groups of three or four, at the least.

Gourry had more problems with his hair becoming entangled in the fingers of his more avid fans. Filia suggested that they cut it off, which led to some stress-relieving horse play. "I brought my hair trimming tools along for later, but I could put them to use now."

"N-no!" Gourry looked near to panic. He danced behind Zelgadiss for protection, swinging his heavy mane behind him, insisting, "It's my problem!"

Filia, fully as tall as Zel, looked him directly in the eye. "You're not stopping me. I could get past you in a second. I bet you're ticklish, aren't you?"

Zel's eyes grew large as another of his secrets was about to be revealed. As Filia made a grab at his sides, his quick-as-lightening reflexes kicked in and he caught her by the wrists. "Are _you_?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Xelloss picked this time to join in. Filia was attacking two friends and she was immobilized. "Let's find out!"

Amid squeals and shrieks, and a few grunts and groans, Filia, Xelloss, and with grudging acceptance, Zelgadiss also, tussled for dominance. Gourry meekly stepped back out of the fray.

"See what you started?" Lina snarled at him accusingly. She was about to land into Gourry with a fist, when Sylphiel spoke up.

"I know what we can do!" Sylphiel convinced him to let them style it. "Duo wears his in a long braid all the time at school. We'll braid it and then you can, you know, stuff it under your sweater in back and it won't get pulled."

"Okay." He agreed to the braid reluctantly. "But if I think it makes me look like a girl, it goes."

With a roll of her eyes, Lina snorted, "It would take more than that to fool anyone." Even with make-up, pigtails, and a dress, Gourry had only made a passable 'girl' under the cover of darkness. "Let her get it over with so we can get back to work. Speaking of work..."

Xelloss and Filia spun around, dragging the now hapless Zelgadiss along with them so that they all managed to push one another into Lina, knocking her off balance. Lina smacked both Xelloss and Zelgadiss across their backs in succession. "Stop acting like brats! Didn't anyone ever teach you that guys don't pick on girls!"

Filia smiled and gave Xelloss one more push and poke in the ribs.

"I was only protecting myself," Zel said defensively.

"She started it!" Xelloss cried out. "I was only... Look, I'm all black and blue where she pinched me!"

Lina kicked him in the seat of his pants. "Shut up! Stop flashing yer flesh and get back to yer drums. You (Zel) find yer damn pick and get back to that instrumental you keep blowing until you get it right. And you (Filia)... help Sylphiel get Gourry's hair done in this century. Now, where'd Val go!"

"Bathroom, Miss Lina!" Amelia answered quickly.

"Oh. Well...that's all right then. Geessh!"

In other words, things were pretty normal in the studio.

They had not hired a security agent replacement for Dilgear yet. With help like his, they felt better off without. Rodimus and Zolf disagreed, and so, moved into the house with the least possible amount of room shuffling. They agreed to share the den so as not to disrupt the room arrangements, but Zelgadiss felt that the space was insufficient and forced Rodimus to accept the master bedroom as well.

"Lina, I know you think you're owed that room to yourself after your great sacrifice, but Rodimus and Zolf need accommodations. Val, Xelloss, Gourry and I already share the one kid's room; you can share with the other girls." The sarcasm was not subtle. Zel sounded a little self-righteous even to himself.

Lina was at Zel's throat in a flash. She knew that he still thought, incorrectly of course, that he had bested her in a fight, and was getting more and more uppity; fearless even. "There's not enough beds in there, so unless I get to keep my room, you'd better be prepared to give up your bed!" she snarled with a smack to his ear.

Zelgadiss smirked as he effortlessly stepped aside, avoiding the contact. "I'm certain that you won't get any complaints from Xelloss... or Gourry and Val, for that matter. Take it up with them, then, I'll sleep on the living room couch..."

Lina's cheeks pinked. Once again, she was as near to throttling him as before. "Zel..." she growled. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and then her lips twisted into a dangerous-looking smile. "You want me to sic Filia on you again and tell her about ...your feet?"

"No..." he gasped, "You wouldn't..."

But she would and he knew it so he set out to find Lina a bed. Tucked away in the back of the garage was a roll away bed, but he couldn't get to it without help. Fluttering about the house like a trapped bird was his helper. "Come on, Xelloss, help me out in the garage and do everyone a favor. Before you dash out your brains on the walls in here."

"It's the ice, the ice! I can't walk outside so I'm stuck inside and I have nothing to doooooooooo... Okay, I'm coming!" Xelloss lightly sprang after his friend and swiftly followed him out.

"Over there," Zel pointed out the bed. They huffed and puffed and rearranged a few boxes to get to it.

"Why are we doing this again? Did I forget? Or did I never get told?"

"Lina wants a bed in the girl's room because Zolf or Rodimus is getting the master bedroom."

"And I'm doing the labor instead of Gourry, because..."

"He was asleep. And quiet. Whereas you, my friend, were about to be tied up and thrown out into the cold by Filia."

"She just can't keep her hands off me, you know," Xelloss grinned.

Zel shook his head. "Better watch it. Val seems to be protective of her again...since that accident."

"Speaking of busy hands..."

"We weren't," Zel muttered, sorry to have brought up the subject. Oh, that's right, he hadn't.

"What was that between you and Amelia today?" Xelloss' smile grew in proportion to Zel's discomfort.

"Nothing. She was slipping on the ice and I caught her before she fell. That's all. I would have done it for any of them." He recalled the warm, full feeling of having an armload of girl, and blushed.

"Ummm-hummm. Sure you would, little brother!" Xelloss laughed, then picked up his end of the bed and pushed it up the step and into the house. "Didn't notice you helping Lina."

Zel hadn't noticed Lina needing any help. "Well, ah...she...ah...had others to..."

"Gottcha! She never slipped! You just did! You are in love! I knew it!"

"Shhhhh! Xelloss, for the godssakes shuddup, will you!" Zel hadn't recovered from his earlier blush; he just overlaid the first with the next, darkening. His feelings, whatever they might or might not be for Amelia, would not be discussed with Xelloss. Not now, anyway. He needed a distraction. Ah, yes, Lina. "Call Lina. Ask her where she'd like us to set this up."

"Okay, but I know your secret..." Xelloss giggled and ran off to find Lina before Zelgadiss could sputter out a caustic reply.

Xelloss and Filia had another round at each other that evening. Amelia had asked conversationally how he'd come by the video recorder which he had used to entrap Dilgear.

"Oh, he's big on them. Probably carries one with him all the time. He's the expert at perverted footage," Filia blurted out. A moment later, she felt a pang of guilt at having said those words.

Amelia's sharp intake of air alerted Zel from across the room. Xelloss' cold stare was frightening. His face drained of blood made is eyes stand out like jewels; his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Miss Filia!" Amelia croaked in disbelief. "And that was only a year ago that...that awful man was caught!" She was thinking of the DuBois in the school bell tower tragedy. He had once videotaped Xelloss, his young stepson, as he tortured him, then had returned years later to reenact the horror in the tower-- the second time with Zelgadiss trapped as well. It was Beast along with Zelas who rescued them in the end, but both boys had been injured.

Zel rose to his feet, but said nothing. He still had nightmares about that day, and couldn't imagine the ones Xelloss must still have. The poor guy didn't need to be reminded in that manner.

"Oh, Xelloss..." Filia choked on her words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that to come out that way... I was thinking of that crow-mating tape you did." She was sincerely regretting her thoughtless words; her face anguished. "Really, Xelly, it was a really stupid, mindless thing to say."

The shadow passed from his face and the color returned. "Forgiven. Although..."

"Yes?"

"I would really be interested in knowing how you got a look at that tape. I thought that I'd recorded over it." He smiled, eyes twinkling with mirth.

Filia's blush spread from her neck up. "Well, I...ah...don't recall now. Wasn't it at the end of that stuff you were not using?"

"Nooooo. That was all destroyed in the fire, remember? Were you snooping about my room in the loft? Ah...I bet when I was hurt and staying in the house... Luna was staying up there. Did she find my tape collection, or was it you?" He was smiling broadly now that he had her squirming in her seat. Would Filia admit to messing around with his stuff or turn on Luna? Neither were a very pleasant prospect.

Zel and Amelia, Sylphiel and Val, Lina and Gourry all turned to Filia, anticipating her answer.

"Ummm...it's a secret!" she blurted out.

Embarrassed to the core, she fled from the room, while Xelloss rolled on the floor in a fit of giggles.

They were having a group feed at a nearby restaurant, when Val was aggravated by a group of other patrons seated at a table nearby. Speaking in a loud tone was an older man bragging about the newest fitness club in town. He claimed that it sported the finest tennis courts and pro in the land, far superior to that old Seyruun Country Club.

Val was irked at having overheard that tripe. He was secretly proud of the fine reputation his country club had, even if he wouldn't set a foot in its well-polished door for anything. He was of half a mind to set the brash man to rights. Too bad that half was in control…

"Hey, dude…" Val drawled, standing over the man's left shoulder. "That ain't true, and ya know it. That's my club yer dissing and I don't like it!"

"Oh…I see--" The older man contemplated his opposition a moment then said, "If that's so, then you wouldn't mind a little _friendly_ competition, would you?"

"Friendly…or not. My place is the best and I don't gotta prove nothin' … but I will."

The man seemed pleased and handed Val his card. "My name is Ruud. Call me in a day or so with some names and conditions. I'll come up with a tournament and the stakes, agreed?"

Val grinned, "Yeah, no problem. What sport ya got in mind?"

"Tennis. You play?"

"Nah, I don't do none of that shit. But don't matter. I'll get some teams, don't worry."

They shook on the plan and the man's party broke up and left the Slayers their privacy.

Thankfully, during their uneventful week they also made exceptional progress on the CD. It would be more than half done by the time of their two-day Solstice break. This meant that they had a good chance of finishing the CD ahead of schedule. Not only would this leave them some down time, but it would save them recording studio costs. Lina was thrilled, and when Lina was happy, everyone was happy.

"That's it! We are outta here!" Lina exclaimed at the close of the first week's work.

Zolf was securing their equipment in the studio storage lockers. He would drive one of their vans back to the house later. Rodimus was driving the kids in the other van; slowly picking his way through ice-slickened, snow-laden streets. Snow in abundance was uncommon in the Atlas City/Seyruun/Sairaag territory, so plows and cleanup were in short supply. Roads were generally a mess under the circumstances, and this had been an unprecedented series of snowfalls and freezing rain storms since the day they left Seyruun. Travel was tricky at best.

Xelloss was busy on his cell phone checking connections and other ride arrangements. He, Sylphiel, Filia, and as it turned out Val and Amelia too, would be taking the train back to Seyruun. He had tried for a helicopter, but the airports were both closed in anticipation of another bout of freezing rain predicted for the day. The rails had been de-iced, however, and the trains were running on time, which was funny because they rarely did when the weather was fair. From the train station, a limousine would take them on to their appointed calls. For Val and Filia, this would be the settlement and for the others, the White Shrine would be their destination. Milgasia, as it turned out, ended up meeting and driving Filia and Val to the clan settlement, simplifying everything. Those clan leaders really wanted to keep strangers from knowing about there property entrances!

It was keeping him, Xelloss, occupied, at least.

Val's decision to go had been his own. He understood the debt he owed Milgasia and he had some personal honor, but he really did it to keep his eye on Filia. This wasn't a trust issue; he was worried about her safety. She would be in parades and events tomorrow surrounded by strangers and crowds. As a participant, he could be close to her at all times. Besides, the excitement was getting to him a little bit, although he would never admit it. He would be driving a tractor pulling a float behind the one Filia would be posing upon.

He'd be in a good position to watch her and the crowd. They were in Milgasia's kitchen when he learned about his costume for the parade...

"It'll look nice," Filia assured him.

"White! I never worn no white clothes before!" Val snorted, then poking at the other garments in the box, he uttered a low guttural noise. "Grrrr…. What's this, a skirt? Oh...no...I ain't wearing that...no way...!"

"Oh pooh! That's mine. Now sit still so I can trim your split ends."

"Next yer tellin' me no spikes, right? Yeah...I knew that would happen. Studs don't come out, ya know?"

"I know. You can leave all your earrings in too. Those make you cute." She wrinkled her nose and laughed at his startled reaction. "Don't jiggle or I'll poke a new hole in your face."

"Go 'head..." he said sulkily.

"No one will recognize you dressed this way, if it makes you feel any better. There now, see how it shines? Your hair is really a beautiful shade of green, so pale... and soft. Real still now while I check the lengths in front. I want both sides to be the same."

Filia pulled a lock of long bang from each side, drawing the hair through her fingers until the tips met under his chin. He watched her eyes lost in concentration, so blue. Her warm breath on his nose, then passing away. She was wearing perfume. Very faint. Like a meadow. So perfect. What if he had lost her when the car had spun? What would he have done then? He grabbed her shoulders in his calloused hands.

"Va-al! You made me drop the scissors!"

"Yeah..." He didn't look very concerned 'bout no scissors. "Bad me..."

With his considerable strength, he pulled her onto his lap. "Real bad..." He raised one hand and cupped her cheek, running his thumb across her lower lip. "Ya got me thinkin'..."

"Oh? A-about what...Val?" She was unsure why he was being so aggressive, not that she was having a real problem with it since he had softened his tone with tenderness. She wasn't afraid of him. She trusted him. But she sure was anxious now.

"'Bout the accident and how I mighta lost ya and how...empty my life woulda been...then..."

Filia swallowed. Was this Val? Was Mr. Arrogant himself opening up with some feelings?

He continued to caress her gently. "Ya gotta be the most beautiful thing I've ever touched." He moved closer, leaning in and brushing his lips across her forehead. "I want you..." he murmured in a voice so subdued she barely heard him.

But she did. That made her sit bolt upright. Of all the nerve! "I'm not some two-bit hussy for your convenience, Vally-boy." She slid off his lap and stood, shaking off a few stray green hairs sticking to her own golden ones. "You got me confused with that other girl, you know who I mean. The rich chick with the boobs and the easy–!" But she couldn't finish, she was so hurt...defiled. A Nahga substitute! "I should have known you couldn't have a real heart. Well, I got news for you, I do and mine is locked away from depraved boys like you trying to seduce me!"

He watched in disbelief as she stomped off. "_Two-bit_...what's 'two bits'?"

Xelloss had ordered security with the limo that took himself, Sylphiel, and Amelia to the shrine. He had called his friend on the force, McGywn, for references on a few moonlighting officers. He chose one who was available and paid the man in advance to meet them with the limo driver at the train station.

Once he had checked in at the shrine, as all the priests were required to do, Xelloss had the driver take him home to change clothes. He had no duties until after dinner, and so, called Candy for directions to her father's home, where she was visiting over break. He was excited to meet her father, but more excited to see her. He had it all planned out. He hoped she liked him in his priest's apparel and wanted to attend the White shrine activities with him later that evening as well. But mostly he hoped she wanted to be with him that night. It had been a long time since he'd slept alone in a house. He was a little apprehensive.

Amelia had gone reluctantly. Daddy needed her close; Nahga called to tell her that. The Dilgear scare had made him wary and uneasy for her safety, plus he was still on edge following the loss of his nephew, Alfred. Additionally, Amelia was a priestess, although not seriously, and had a few limited duties, if she so chose to carry them out. But most importantly, and what changed her mind, was that **she** was the mayor's daughter and the parades and events of all the different religious, ethnic, and cultural groups who regularly participated in the city-state needed to see **her** standing proud alongside her daddy– united, healthy, dignified...twin pillars of the community representing the **_just way_**.

"Would you like to come back to Seyruun with me, Zelgadiss?" She gazed up at him with luminous eyes.

"I'll think about it," he replied brusquely, looking over her head and avoiding her eyes. What excuse did he have to return to Seyruun? Everyone would be busy but him. At least in Atlas City there were new places to explore, or so Lina had said. Besides, Amelia would probably change her mind again and stay in Atlas City where she could hang around him, or so he figured. He was certainly more interesting than her father, _surely!_

But Amelia was determined to be with her father when he needed her most. So, when the time came to go, she asked Zelgadiss once again to join her. Perhaps with foolish pride, he simply shrugged and told her no, still expecting her to remain with him. He would have thought she would have killed for the chance to have him all to herself...well, and Lina and Gourry too. But...she chose differently. Amelia had seemed downhearted, too, as she climbed aboard the train, but in the end…she left him. Zelgadiss couldn't believe it when she actually left!

He saw them off at the train station, and, along with Lina and Gourry, climbed back into the van with Zolf for the ride into the downtown shopping district of Atlas City. He was stunned. When he took his seat, trance-like, he found that Amelia had left her bracelet behind. Nothing special, but one of a pair she wore all the time. As he picked it up, he found a note beneath, face down. 'Something to remember me by- Amelia,' it said.

The corner of his mouth twisted up into a faint smile. He tucked the item into his jacket pocket alongside his cell phone– two lifelines resting side-by-side.

"Keepsake?"

Zolf's question came as a surprise. Zel had thought his activities had been unseen. "Ah...yes," he admitted, eyes downcast, unable to meet the steady gaze of the other man in the rearview mirror. "Amelia... She...ah...left it behind." He was at a loss for words.

"Hey, that's nice. Sweet girl." Zolf turned back to the wheel and drove on.

"Yes, she is," Zel agreed. He wondered why she thought he might forget her. Amelia, he could never forget.

"Zolf? Better go straight to the restaurant. I wanna have plenty to eat before I gotta go shoppin'. You know where that all-you-can-eat place is?" Gourry asked.

"You bet. I used to live here, remember?" Zolf concentrated on the treacherous road.

"Hello, I'm Xelloss. I'm here to pick up Candy."

The older man with balding hair grunted and held open the door. "Laila we call her here at home. Don't know why she'd want to change a nice name like that...family name...my mother's."

Xelloss stepped inside. "I agree. Laila is a beautiful name. Ah, is she ready to go?"

Again, her father was looking the young man over. His eyes rested on his tall staff. "Priest, I take it. Fancy thing like that...a kid your age shouldn't have a valuable thing like that!"

Xelloss was taken aback. Why would this man assume that? He didn't even know him! "Pardon me, but I worked hard to earn this staff. It's also a family heirloom, and following the deaths of both of my parents, I am its uncontested owner."

Candy's father looked uncomfortable, but offered no apology. "I'll go see what's keeping my daughter."

While waiting, Xelloss roamed the front room looking at the numerous photographs displayed around the room. Laila at various ages. A picture of a woman who looked like Laila, but older, he thought, must be her mother, of whom she spoke rarely. Others showed her father to be a hobby fisherman. One photograph in particular caught his attention. It looked recent, summer by the sunlight and light-weight clothing of the couple seated outside at a patio table. The girl was Laila, wearing glasses instead of her contacts, and the boy with her...resembled himself. His face was heavier, tanned, his hair shorter and brown, but the features...it was uncanny, to his mind. Like in his dream... Her father's voice at his back startled him back to reality.

"That's Laila with Kerel last summer. They were engaged, you know."

"Yes," Xelloss' heart turned cold. He said in a controlled tone of voice. "But not now." He was very uncomfortable now and didn't understand why the man had taken such an immediate and obvious dislike to him. Seeing his date enter the room, he turned to her. "Hi."

"Wow! I've never seen you in that! You must be pretty important at the shrine. I had no idea." Her smile warmed him throughout.

"We'd better go. Our ride awaits," he said with a bow and smile. "Good day!" he called to her father politely, and then with a hand on her back, pushed out the door.

"We should go straight to the movie. It's bound to be crowded. Bye Dad! I'll call if I'll be very late!"

"Okay," Xelloss said agreeably and spoke to the driver about directions.

"Fil, hey stop! Listen...don't run off like that!" Val caught up with her in two long strides. "Gimme a chance here. Come on..."

She stopped, back turned.

"Hey, it's not like that..." he began.

"Oh? You tell me what _it_ is then. How was _that_ any different from what Allan was doing in the car, and _you_ nearly broke his neck for…_it_!"

"Fil, he didn't know you like I do. Ah...I'm not so good at this... See, I...it's you..."

"_Me_? _My_ fault? _I've_ got the problem?"

"No, its not that it's just...when I get near ya, I feel...fuzzy."

"Fuzzy. That's a new one on me."

"No, I mean my _brain_ goes fuzzy. I can't think straight. All I see are those eyes of yers and...I can't think right."

"Oh, I see… then it _is_ me with the problem."

She was torturing him now. But, she wanted a confession out of him.

He sighed in exasperation. He nervously ran a hand through his long, soft hair. "Filia..." He reached out and grasped her hand. "Whaddya want from me? I'm no good at ex-pres-sin' e-mo-shuns, like Xelloss is. I said that I wanted you, and I do; I won't lie 'bout that. That don't mean I'm gonna hurt ya or nothin'. I wouldn't do that, you know that don't ya? Fil, I'd never hurt ya. Yer just too important to me."

Filia nodded. "You seem able to say quite a bit." But her voice was tender and her expression, soft. She'd never felt so close to him before. She knew he was struggling to say he liked her, but to her, it was important that he try. He either was falling for Nahga, or not, but she didn't want to play second fiddle to her.

As if he read her mind, he said next, "Nahga's not...my girlfriend, Fil. More a...business partner..."

"Right!" she snorted. "Interesting business..."

"It is! I might even tell ya 'bout it sometime...some other time. But right now, I want ta show ya how I feel 'bout ya, but when I try an' do somethin' ya push me away. I look at ya and think...okay...she wants me too, then I find ya don't. I ain't no mind reader. I could be anyplace right now, but I wanna be here with you. Give me a break here, 'kay?"

"Okay. We have the rest of the afternoon free. Take me to a movie. Be nice."

"Sure...I can do that," he grumbled. He looked around a second then loped over to the chair he'd used for his haircut, and scooped up his black hair tie from the floor. His hand was shaking. He was nervous. Him, Val Agares, punk supreme! _Cool_ personified! What was it about her that made him feel that he was _severely_ disadvantaged at times?

"Here, let me," Filia offered. She wrapped it around his head, while he held it in place at his forehead, then tied it firmly off at the side. "There..." She pulled and tugged at tufts of his hair, straightening parts and forcing a few locks to stay over into his eyes. "That looks hot, without the gel."

"If you say so," he grinned and rolled his eyes. "Think Mil will let us take his SUV?"

"Uh-huh," she smiled. "I already asked."

Val gave her a second look, "Oh yeah?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and massaged it some. "I'm gonna want somethin' outta all this."

What could only be described as a Zel-smirk spread to Filia's lips. "Okay...I'll buy you some popcorn." She broke free and whipped her ponytail in his face. _Man, he sure needed help in the romantic-talk department. Nothing like Xelloss..._ She sighed, fondly remembering a few close calls..._maybe he'd give Val some pointers...? _

"Bitch..." he muttered in a very low tone.

"What was that?"

"I said...that was _rich_..." he corrected immediately as he followed her to out to Milgasia's.

"Uh, huh..." she laughed as her usual haughtiness returned to match his arrogance. Oh, she was satisfied that she'd been able to bring him down a few notches. He deserved that. She wasn't sharing a guy with anyone. She sighed audibly.

"So...are you my girlfriend now, or am I just supposed to pretend yer not an' let everyone guess?" Val asked as his strong arm snaked over her shoulders.

That, she hadn't expected. She halted abruptly. "I-I don't know. Let's see how today goes first, then decide."

"Sure..." he grinned. "Take yer time now that you've gotten a confession outta me."

"A confession? Of what?"

He blinked. Well he had made it clear how he'd felt, right? Maybe not. "Ah, shit...just...let's wait an' see how the day goes, as you say."

"Sure thing."

Zel, Lina, Gourry spent a few hours bumming around town. The outlet malls would be open the next day, so they put that off. An old-fashioned marquee glowed in the hazy light of partially frozen ice crystals suspended in fog. Gourry read the headliners, and then titled his head toward Lina. "Wanna see that new _Return of the King_ movie?"

Without thinking, Lina remarked, "Is that out?" Of course it was. The advertising couldn't be missed, but her attention had been focused on other things. She imagined the snotty retorts others might say, but not Gourry.

Gourry raised his eyebrows. "Yeah! I figured you might have already seen it!"

She rewarded him with a smile for that sensitive reply. "Nope! Good idea, though. Hey, Zel, come on."

Zelgadiss allowed himself to be dragged along. He felt a bit odd, though. No Xelloss...no Amelia. He adjusted his earplugs in anticipation of the spectacular special effects and Dolby Surround Sound and bought his ticket.

"Place sure is full. Over there look good?" Val pointed to a pair of empty seats in a dark corner.

"Depends what you call 'good'. Yeah, looks like those may be the only ones free on this side. Sure."

"Oh gods..."

"What? You okay, Fil?"

"Is that Xelloss and Candy over there?"

Val followed her pointing finger to... "Yep. Well, what were the chances of that happenin', huh? Just sit back. It'll be dark soon an' ya won't see him again. Now what?"

"Over there, know that guy?"

"Who? Fergit it. Let me hold that popcorn for a bit. No, I'm gonna keep it right here on my lap. I want yer hand, you can give me that much, right?" Val gave her a wink.

"Yeah, sure..." she sighed dramatically, but then smiled at him. He cut a strikingly handsome figure at the moment, she thought. She had nothing to be ashamed of sitting with him, should anyone she know see her.

"No, I don't want to try and hold two seats in this crowded place. Just pile the coats on a seat in the middle for me, and I'll go get food for the both of you and you'll just have to be satisfied with what I get." Zel would brook no arguments. He would have preferred sitting and hiding in his theater seat, but he didn't want to fend off folks needing seats more.

"Sure, suit yourself," Lina waved him off.

Gourry was about to offer him some money, but Zel was already gone.

Xelloss and Candy settled into their seats juggling popcorn and drinks. His cloak and staff remained wrapped in the limo under guard, so that Xelloss could snuggle up a little to, as he explained, 'stay warm.' As the movie unfolded, his attention strayed. He couldn't help but compare this event to the first movie with Zelgadiss, Lina, and Gourry. Lina was so excited and vocal. Candy sat immersed in the picture, but was complacent, maybe to a fault. She was a difficult girl to get excited over things, which was probably a good thing with him as a boyfriend. Nevertheless, near the end Xelloss closed his eyes and imagined Lina acting out the scene...grappling with Golem for the ring within Sauron's Mount Doom...

"Bite it off! Bite off his finger already!" Lina screamed.

Gourry wrapped an arm around her shoulders and settled her back in her seat. "Folks can't see..."

Zel scrunched lower in his seat, a smile on his face. He was glad Gourry was brave. His smiled faded as he reminded himself that if he were half the man Gourry was, he would have accompanied Amelia back to Seyruun. He was broken out of his pit of doom by a smart rap on his head. "Hey!" he complained.

"Hey yourself. Cheer up, it was a great movie!"

"Lina, it's more than three hours of my life that I'll never get back. I could have spent that time re-reading the book…"

Lina frowned. "Whose cell phone is that ringing?"

"Mine. Hello? **_Amelia_?**" That was unexpected! "Ah...fine. Is everything all right there?" Zel shrugged his shoulders in answer to Lina's insistent hand waving.

"Oh...well...I, ah...missed you here too," he admitted in a near-whisper and turning his back to the others. "What? You are? Oh, no, Amelia you certainly cannot travel alone on that train all the way here. No." He pulled the phone away from his ear a ways and winced. "No, I don't say that because I consider you to be a little girl. It's dangerous for you because you're being targeted by the syndicate. I'll come get you. I'll call and let you know, but it's liable to be around midnight before I get in. All right. I'll check the schedules and call you with the times. Fine. Bye."

"Amelia wants ta come back?" Gourry asked.

"Yes...Amelia was so depressed after her duties were done today that her father promised to send her back to Atlas City in the morning. Naturally, someone will need to accompany her, so I volunteered."

Lina couldn't believe her ears. She was speechless. Amelia shucking her 'duty'? Zelgadiss offering to go out of his way to help someone, Amelia in particular? She pinched herself checking to see if she wasn't really just dreaming it all.

Gourry slapped him on the back good-naturedly. "Way ta go, Zel. That's real nice of ya. I'll guard Lina then."

Lina choked, "Wha…?" Then straightened up when no one seemed to be listening to her. "Zolf should stay too and Zel outta take Rodimus," Lina noted logically.

Gourry didn't think so, but he wasn't thinking logically, he was thinking with a guy's heart. Zel wanted to be Amelia's champion just as he wanted to be Lina's—that he understood, even if Zel wouldn't admit it.

"The special effects were outstanding in those battle scenes, don't you think?"

"Ummm-hmmm," Xelloss agreed, pulling Candy along through the crowded passageway out of the theater.

"Laila! Over here! I _thought_ that was you!"

Xelloss turned toward the strange male's voice just as he felt Candy drop his hand. This just wasn't his day, he could tell.

"Kerel? Oh, hi! Um...this is Xelloss. We're in math together. You just see the movie, too?"

"Yeah," Kerel now noticed Xelloss and started when he recognized him from the skirmish in the high school hallway a year ago. "Ah...yeah, we've, ah met…from school."

Xelloss smiled, barely. "Hello." The guy looked just like he had in that picture, heavier even. Xelloss still didn't recall his face other than that. Up close, they didn't look as similar as he'd thought they did from the photo, except that the guy clearly was keen on Candy.

"So...you wanna meet up with some old friends at the coffee shop 'round the corner?" Kerel asked Candy, ignoring Xelloss.

"Well ah..."

"I'm sorry. Maybe another time," Xelloss interrupted. "We have other plans for this evening." He took Candy by the elbow and steered her out the door. His heart was pumping, his brows drawn into a frown.

He opened the limo door before the driver could hop out. "Shrine," he barked.

"You're jealous."

Xelloss didn't bother to deny the obvious. He squeezed his eyes tightly to avoid tears from forming. "Yeah... It's obvious that he's still in love with you." He didn't bother to add, _'…and that you still love him…'_

She was bored waiting for Xelloss to complete his priestly duties at the shrine that evening, but was entertained from time to time by Xelloss' friends. Sylphiel and Amelia joined her when they could. Miroku sat with her, flattering her with all kinds of compliments. Subaru let Sylphiel introduce him to Candy, but he had nothing to say and only stood awkwardly a moment or two, then excused himself politely. He had to feed his fish.

"Are you done now?" Candy asked a rather weary looking Xelloss.

"Yes. Sorry, there's going to be a lot going on tomorrow and everything had to be reviewed first. But ... It's done now. I... I would like you to stay at my house tonight. Just call your dad and let him know you won't be coming home, okay?"

"I can't tell him I staying with you..."

"Why...?"

"I'll say I'm with friends and staying at a party or something. He'll understand that."

Xelloss thought the truth sounded better than that, but didn't argue. She was going home with **him** tonight and that's what was important.

"Okay, Zel. Call when you get into Seyruun. We don't care what the time is, promise?" Lina demanded.

"I'll see that he does," Zolf agreed and climbed aboard the train first.

"Yes," Zel sighed. "Later, then." He gave a little wave and jumped up the step and disappeared.

"Well, Gourry. It's just you and me now."

"Um...and Rodimus," Gourry added. Gourry had to be satisfied that at _least _the handsome Zolf was leaving. "Think he'll wanna stop off for somethin' to eat on the way back to the house?"

"He'd better!"

"So, ya wanna go back ta my place tonight?"

Filia shook her head. "I don't think so, Val. It just wouldn't be right." She blushed and looked away.

"Hey, I wasn't thinkin' of doing anythin', just a place ta go and talk in peace. That's all, ya know?"

"_No_. Besides, I don't want to disturb Xelloss and Candy, if they're there," Filia said. "If you want, we can go visit the horses when we get back to the settlement."

"Horses? Ain't ridin' in the dark..."

"Who said anything about _riding_ them? We can talk to them and...have some alone time, okay?"

Some form of understanding sank in at last. "Horses. Yeah sure, Fil. Pretty weird idea though..."

Xelloss came from the shower, shaking out his damp hair. "I feel better now. It's been a long, dirty day." He hung up his towel and sat on the edge of the bed. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just tired. Tired and achy. I hope I'm not coming down with the flu or something."

"Me too." He bent over and kissed her. "So...? Miss me? It's not as bad as we thought, right? I worked out some time together, didn't I? And the CD recording is going fast. We may be done a whole day or two earlier than expected so we can spend part of the break together and go...skiing like you wanted. Is that okay with you?"

"Um-hmm," she agreed and pulled him closer.

"I missed you, and this," he assured her, pressing his body into hers until they melted together.

"So Zelgadiss is really coming on the train tonight to take you back to Atlas City?" Sylphiel squealed. She had gone home with Amelia to keep her company until Zel called from the train station. It was either that or be put to work at the shrine; there was always something to do there this time of year with so many important events going on.

Amelia wore a dreamy expression as an answer.

"Zel must really like you, Amelia. I mean, like, he showed that when he took you out on your birthday. And, you know, he just never lets anyone touch him, but you he _holds_!"

Amelia smiled warmly at the memories. "Yes, but we haven't had any time alone since then and he's far to shy to hold my hand even around you guys."

"How can you _stand _it? You know, the _waiting_ with him? I don't see how you can be so patient. I know I would have given up _long_ ago..."

"Oh really?" Amelia laughed. "Like you did with Mr. Gourry?"

A band of pink colored across Sylphiel's cheeks and nose. "Well, it's different. With him, I've sorta come and gone. Lately, he's been so sweet. Taking me places, helping out. I know he likes Lina, but at least now I think he kinda likes me too. He admitted that he thought we had a lot in common."

Amelia didn't know what to say. She wanted to be loyal to Lina and Sylphiel both. "Well, that's okay, I think. The better he gets to know you the better chance he had to compare the two of you and see where his heart really lies and his future holds. It's the right thing, I guess, but I wish everyone would just end up happy in the end with the perfect match."

"I think Xelloss and Lina make a cute couple. So does Val and Lina, which would pair Xelloss with Filia. Hoooo!" Both girls laughed at that match.

They spent the next few hours playing matchmaker for everyone they knew, until Zel's call came.

"Time to go, Amelia-dear!" her father called from the den. His voice carried through the house like a fog horn. Mayor Phil insisted that he do the driving, pick the boy up himself and drop Sylphiel home on the way back. Dangerous roads, dangerous people out there, he reminded them.

"Right, Daddy!" she cried out and charged off. Leaving Sylphiel to hurry after them both as best she could.

For the first time, Lina and Gourry were occupying a house alone—well, nearly. Rodimus had fallen asleep watching TV in the den so they were for all practical purposes alone. They played a few video games, watched a late night horror flick, and then camped out on the floor of the living room with blankets listening to music. It was nice and simple, comforting and fun. Gourry couldn't have planned it better if he'd tried. He really couldn't have planned it at all, try or not. The key to success? Zel had gone and taken all his dark karma with him.

Xelloss woke up. It was dark. Candy's hand tightened on his arm. "I...heard something too," she whispered.

He slid out of bed nimbly grabbing his staff off the floor and his kimono robe off the chair in a single graceful motion. He put a finger to his lips and motioned for her to remain in place as he silently opened the bedroom door and then passed out into the hallway. Moving with cat-like grace, Xelloss checked for an intruder, conducting a room by room search. Had Zelgadiss been here, he mused, he would have known exactly where to look first by listening for breathing. He kept in the darkest shadows, his silk pants and top making no sound, all the way to the front room. Cold air. His eyes noted shards of glass gleaming on the floor refracting the streetlight. He scanned for a heavy object and found one; a brick, wrapped in paper. How predictable!

He had been gone what felt like a long time and it was so quiet that Candy decided to venture out into the house. Brave or foolish, she was getting worried about him. Just outside of the bedroom, she could see him silhouetted against the front room window, tip-toeing sleek and agile as a gymnast, then stooping to pick a lump off the floor.

"Gottcha!" She felt the hot breath on her neck as one rough, calloused hand crushed her mouth, muffling her cry while the other hand dragged her backwards through the doorway and onto a bed.

Xelloss spun and leaped in the direction of the sounds of scuffling. "Damn!" he cursed aloud. He'd been taken in by as amateur a diversion as there could be, putting his girlfriend at risk.

He snarled and kicked open the door to his room, staff at ready for attack. A surly looking thug was holding a gun to Candy's temple. "Don't do nothin' dumb."

Xelloss weighed the man, his abilities, and the danger to Candy, and then he smiled and twirled his staff. The ruby orb glittered, distracting the man for an instant, long enough for Xelloss to lunge forward, plowing his staff into the thug's gut, then knocking the gun from his hand before his defensive mechanisms kicked in.

Candy screamed and rolled off the bed. When she looked up, Xelloss already had the intruder face smashed against the wall, spread-eagled, patting him down, searching for another weapon.

"See this?" Xelloss hissed and pushed the orb into the man's face. "Recognize it? You do? Then you know who I am? Good. Now, tell me who contracted you, or I'll start breaking bones."

Candy gasped. _Who was Xelloss this time_? She crushed her hands over her eyes to make it all go away.

"I...dunno...all… secret. I… just supposed to… delay anyone here..."

Xelloss frowned. Why would that be important to waste an employee on...? Delay anyone. From what? Something else more important, _obviously_. Something else was going down and the Slayers were divided! "Damnit anyway!"

Xelloss couldn't believe how entirely stupid he'd been. He swung around and caught Candy's terrified gaze as she dropped her hands at his harsh curse. "Candy, get my cell phone on the bed stand...please hurry. That's right. Now punch 16 and bring it to me."

She moved robotically, tossing the instrument to him as if it were a poisonous snake in her hands. He could tell that she was frightened to death, and tried to offer her some comfort. "It's okay. This guy won't hurt you now. Excuse me...Hello Detective McGywn? Ah...Xelloss here. Major emergency...I have an intruder disarmed in my bedroom and a broken front window...hold on! There's more. He's only a diversion to keep me here, or one of us. Something big is about to happen. I don't know...the Mayor's place?...Ah...where else...the Shrine! The downtown shrine! I don't know, but it might be there. I'll find out by the time you get here. Oh...I have my ways and I don't have to follow the same nice laws your men do. I mean, the guy got banged up when I disarmed him, sorry. Ha! I gotta warn Sylph and Amelia now."

He tossed the phone back to Candy. "Punch 5..." then slammed his staff over the man's windpipe, pinning him by his neck to the wall. "Okay, so where's the action?"

The smell of hot horse enveloped Val's senses. They'd returned the SUV keys to Milgasia and told him they'd be walking out to check on the horses. Milgasia raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Now, he was following Filia around the stable. He couldn't have told her how many horses there were as his mind was elsewhere.

"Val?"

He stepped closer. "Yeah? Oh, ah...yeah, his eye's better."

Her eyes narrowed. "How can you tell? You're not even looking at the horse's head."

"I'm looking..."

"At _me-e_! You're not looking at _his _eye."

"Yeah..." He gave her a lop-sided smile. "Ain't that too bad?"

"Idiot!" she sniffed, but smiled too. When he wasn't so cocky, he was sweet. On impulse she stretched up onto her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek.

Val caught her before she got away. "Don't kiss me like yer little brother," he muttered in a low growl, then drew her face upwards with a hand. She wasn't complaining, so he kissed her lightly, pulling back to check her response. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks tainted pink. Good enough for him. He moved his hand on her back and pressed her firmly to his chest and this time he tried to transmit some of his passion through his lips.

"Val! VAL! Are you out here!"

Reluctantly, Val released Filia and turned toward the voice. "That you, Julian? Yeah, I'm here..." His voice betrayed his annoyance for the intrusion.

Panting with effort, the twenty-something year old man jogged into the stable. "There...there's two guys apprehended at the gates. Say...they say that they're friends of yours. I didn't see them, but Milgasia's there now. Could be those two guys that hung out with you up on that mountain last summer. They've got some urgent message, or so they say."

"Jillas and Gravos," Val growled. "What do those dudes want at this time of night?"

"Follow me!" Julian shouted. And Val and Filia trailed him toward the gates. A clansman waved them down, directing them over to Milgasia's house.

The news wasn't good.

"The Shrine you say?" Val gasped. "Gotta call Xelloss and Sylph..."

"Sylphiel, I'm going to drop you off at the shrine first," Phil bellowed from the front seat.

"Just let me out in the back. That's where the private entrance is and it's so crowded now with all the events," Sylphiel pointed out. "I can get out here. Looks like the lot's full."

Zel opened his door. "I'll walk you to the door. It's slippery and dark."

So gallant! Amelia thought to herself. She glowed with pride for him and hoped her father noticed, too.

The lot was empty, save for the parked cars and them, which was why Zelgadiss noticed the odd metallic scraping of a lock being broken. He stopped mid stride, and grasped Sylphiel by the wrist. "Isn't that your car?"

"Why...yes...why?" she began looking over at her snow-dusted car. There was something wrong about the snow. A chunk was missing over the door.

"Stay here..." his voice warned. She started to ask 'why?', but he had lurched off, hopping icy spots, and dashing pell-mell across the lot.

Amelia watched as Zel took off into the parking lot while Sylphiel looked on, her face stricken. "Daddy? Something's going on. I'll be right back."

* * *

(The action continues in the next chapter… See ya next week!)

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 32.


	33. Bombs Away!

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 33 **

**Bombs Away!**

_He who would love must first learn to run through snow leaving no footprint.– American Indian Proverb_

* * *

"Before you call anyone else," Candy cried out, stopping Xelloss from pulling the sweater over his head with a hand to his arm. "Tell me what's going on! That horrible man almost killed me! You asked...no, **demanded** that he know who you were... Xelloss... who _are_ you?"

"Oh...Candy..." his troubled eyes met hers. "I don't have time for this right now. I need you to stay here until the police arrive and answer their questions, and then see if the emergency 24-hour window repair guys can replace this broken pane before all the heat's lost and we get a heating bill Zelgadiss will kill me for, while I go out and save my friends from whatever mess they're about to get in." He smiled and fastened his pants. That shouldn't be too hard. Amelia or Sylphiel could handle that much. "You can do that for me, can't you?"

"**_What_**!" Candy stood trembling, aghast at his suggestion. Didn't he care? Were those 'friends' of his more important to him than her? She had just been attacked! He was thinking of leaving her? What were those things he expected her to do alone? She demanded some answers and asked in a plaintive tone, "Please, _no_, say you'll stay? You...you aren't going to _leave_ me here with that man? _ALONE_!"

Xelloss tied his shoes and scanned the still form trussed to a chair in the kitchen. He had used the lovely ropes that Zelgadiss had purchased prior to the summer's 'hunt for Val' in the caverns of the Ancient Clan. Zelgadiss had cleaned them so caringly, then coiled them neatly and hung in his closet. Handy things, ropes! "Oh, he won't be going anywhere. You can trust me on that. But, seriously Candy, I _have_ to go. This is something I must do. Only I can stop something horrible from happening, if I'm not already too late, that is... McGywn's car is here now. See, you'll be fine." He gave her a reassuring quick kiss, took up his staff, and smiled sympathetically. "I feel torn. I know you want me to stay, and I would if lives weren't at stake and I know you don't understand and think I'm nuts or some criminal but I'm not, really I'm not, but I gotta go..."

Her reply was lost in the peal of the doorbell.

"Ah, hi, Detective! Candy here will tell you all about it! I'm on my way to the shrine... Send a bomb squad!"

"Xelloss..._no_!" she cried out.

Then hoping Zel's car had gas and that he wouldn't kill himself on the drive downtown of the icy roads, Xelloss started the car and backed out of the driveway. "Oh, yeah...do I turn left at the corner...or right?" he wondered aloud as he began punching numbers on his cell phone.

He received an incoming signal. "What!" he shouted into the phone.

"Val here. Jillas just got word ta me that's there's a job goin' down there...at least one tonight at the shrine..."

"Yeah, I heard too. I'm on my way as we speak. Any details? Right. Call McGywn, tell him, but stay on the settlement. You are there now aren't you? Good. Don't come _here_! I've already had one run-in already. Do me a favor and call Amelia and her father for me, okay? I didn't connect with her when I tried before. I'll try Sylphiel and her father."

Xelloss punched in the code. "Sylphiel!" Xelloss said in an exasperated voice. "Took you long enough to answer. Where are you? No! Don't go inside! There may be bombs planted at the doors, I don't know what or where. Nooooo...don't start screaming...listen. Call your father and tell him to get everyone away from the exterior doors until the bomb squad gets there. I'm calling Subaru and... WHAT! What's Zelgadiss doing there! Don't let him try something on his own!"

Zelgadiss hid behind a large vehicle in order to watch the man, or woman, breaking into Sylphiel's car. What was the person doing? Zel looked over the car. Why choose hers? Then he noticed that a ramp of snow had been hastily created in front of the front wheels. With his eyes he followed the car's possible path...up...over the curb...straight into the building's side windows... Why? Why break in...? What if the car contained a bomb? Zel knew now that he had to stop that car, right now! He cast about for a weapon, a stick, a...stake supporting the fall-planted tree, yes! Yanking it free, he charted his course to the car door.

Then his cell phone buzzed. "What!" he snarled to whoever had the bad timing to call him at that moment.

"Don't do _anything!_" Xelloss shouted over the phone.

"What the hell are you talking about! There's a car about to be driven through the shrine back windows and I've got a chance to stop it."

"It's probably charged!"

"Yes, damnit, Xelloss, it's starting to move!"

"Set the brake, then get out..."

Zel had heard, but simply tossed the phone aside. He needed both hands. He ran to the car which was slowly rolling up the ramp. Faster. He had to make it in time. He was in the open now and could clearly see the figure pushing the vehicle, door ajar to adjust the steering wheel. Five more steps.

"Mr. Zelgadiss!"

NO! Not her! Zel shouted in his head. The figure straightened and turned in the direction of Amelia's voice. He had a beard and was scratching at it in a fidgety, twitchy motion. He hadn't noticed Zel approaching from behind. He raised his left arm, gun at point.

BLAM! A gun blast shattered the glass of a car window six inches from Amelia's head.

Zel heard her scream, or was it Sylphiel...or both? He couldn't look. He wouldn't. In a single determined leap, he brought down all of his weight with the six foot long stake across the head and shoulders of the man. Zelgadiss had a moment's satisfaction as he felt the bigger man crumple beneath him.

"My car! It's moving!"

Val stared hard, "How did you know the way to the main gate? You got in by helicopter last summer."

Jillas licked his thin lips and ran a hand nervously through his short red hair. "Map?"

"Maps take ya to the visitors' gate over there," Val pointed.

Milgasia frowned and whispered something to Julian as he walked into the room. "Listen..."

"Well, this one's got the other gate and a back one too."

"Givitome," Val demanded hand outstretched. "Where'd you get this?"

Jillas and Gravos exchanged uncomfortable glances. "There's a lotta work bein' contracted these days. Some dude name Dilgear gave me this to do some scoutin'."

"When was that?"

"I dunno...a few days ago. I tried ta get ahold of ya but you'd already gone to Atlas City. I meant to tell ya 'bout this..."

"He did, boss," the larger Gravos nodded. "He tried lots, but Dilgear was with ya so...we didn't wanna blow nothin'."

Val frowned, "You better tell these men everythin' you know after all they did for you ta keep you outta jail last month or so..."

Jillas nodded. "Sure boss, but it ain't much."

Xelloss screeched in front of the White Shrine, tires hitting an icy patch, spinning out of control for a few seconds, and then coming to a rest, magically in a parking space at the curb. "That would have been cool, had I actually done that on purpose," he gasped, catching his breath. He shook his head clear, and then studied the building. Next thing he knew, two black-clad figures sprinted into view: one long-legged and rather gangly in the lead, the other heavy and built like an ox. "Mayor Phil?" Xelloss mused.

He hopped out of Zel's car and joined the chase. Being fresh and in good shape, he gained on the leader in no time. With a single thrust of his staff between the rapidly moving legs, he tripped up the lanky guy, bringing him down hard on the shoveled walkway and skinning his face and hands.

Sirens in the distance wailed through the downtown. Bomb squad and backup, Xelloss figured as he bent to check his captured man for signs of life.

Huffing and puffing somewhat, Phil shouted, "Good job! That man has run afoul of justice, I say! He was loading boxes into one of the out-buildings when..."

The roar of an explosion masked his remaining words.

"Amelia!" The mayor mouthed, his face drawn up in shock.

"_She's_ back there?" Xelloss shouted, leaping to his feet. He shook Phil with one hand and pointed to the rear of the shrine with his staff in the other.

Phil, not one to fail under pressure, nodded. "Yes! Zelgadiss...and Sylphiel, too! Come on!"

Xelloss hesitated only long enough to smash the orb end of his staff over the prone man's scull, knocking him out cold for awhile, and then broke into a run. He passed the mayor on the turn, when a second, larger blast shook the ground.

After gloating a moment a having bested the larger brute, Zel remembered Xelloss' advice and dove for the open door. He found the hand brake and yanked it up, but, alas, the car continued to slide on the icy path under regardless. AH! Now what? Get out and block the tires? Let it go and run for it? He had no time to think! In desperation he analyzed the view out the window and spied a large tree off to the right. Sure, why not? He wrenched the wheel hard right and directed the car at that.

A dark, large-framed body flew past him, followed by another. Was that Mayor Phil? Looming in front of him was the tree. He had to get out of here! He catapulted himself from the moving vehicle, hit the pavement hard, and rolled into a combination snowdrift-shrub before coming to a stop.

"_Daddy! Zelgadiss_!" Amelia cried out.

"Oh! _Amelia! Zel_!" Sylphiel wailed.

Zel shot off the ground with a yelp, "Get **_Down_**! Behind a car...Anything! **_Now_**!" He leaped over the plants, and then he cast himself to the ground, putting as much space between his body and the car as possible.

Sylphiel and Amelia flopped to the ground, following his example.

Moments later the car hit the tree, exploding into a ball of flame and sending shrapnel into the air to land sizzling where it hit the snow.

Then came the second explosion.

He was too late. Xelloss was certain of that. His friends were battling bombers while he had been distracted by diversions. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to them...never! He continued to cloud his thinking with brain-berating thoughts, flogging it with guilt. He lost the mayor in the billows of black smoke and kept on running into the thickest part.

Zel had felt the ground heave beneath him with that second blast and now all he could do was hope to all the gods that the girls had all survived and were safe. What he heard next was the call of a familiar, yet unexpected voice. It was Xelloss.

"Zel-gaaaaaa-disss!"

Followed by another. "Ameeeelia!" bellowed the mayor.

"Here, Daddy! I'm here! Sylphiel, too! We…we're okay!"

Zel smiled and thanked the gods sincerely. He stood only to find he was lost in a world of smoke. "Xelloss!" he answered back, then fell to his knees in a coughing fit.

Phil found his daughter and her friend huddled together in the lee of a minivan. About ten feet away, Zelgadiss staggered into view with Xelloss at his side. "Get them away." Xelloss shouted.

"My car..." Phil removed his handkerchief covering his mouth and nose, then with an arm around each girl, slogged through the slush and ice to his car.

Xelloss and Zel followed him at a stumbling trot, retrieving his discarded cell phone in passing. Once they were out of the smoke, Xelloss pulled Zel in the other direction and indicated with his staff that they had more business to attend to out front. Zel nodded his assent and chased after Xelloss' flapping cape. They evaded a couple of Seyruun's finest, aiming for a darkened corner right off the path. The man Xelloss had struck down was still there on his back. Xelloss knelt by his side, withdrew a small, white packet of smelling salts and broke in under his nose. The man groaned and shook his head, batting the awful-smelling thing away.

"'Kay, sit up and tell me where the rest of the bombs are!" Xelloss shouted in his ear.

He was reticent to talk.

Xelloss pounded him on the head. "This should remind you of something. This mean anything to you?" He caught light from the shrine's light post on his ruby-orbed staff. "How about this?" This time Xelloss withdrew an evil-looking blue-steel gun from his waistband.

Both the stranger and Zelgadiss jumped. What was Xelloss doing with _that_?

"Oh, it isn't just any gun either," Xelloss smiled slyly and flipped the gun around to reveal a large blue jewel embedded in the handle and surrounded by an embossed star and other indecipherable engravings. "Not only do I carry the ruby orb of Shabrinigdo on the Metallium staff, but he..." he said, tossing the gun to Zelgadiss, who was luckily coordinated enough to catch it unawares and not blow his brains out, "...bears the symbol of power from DARKSTAR. Know that name? You see, to the victors go the spoils."

The captured man was shaking in his boots now.

"So you do recognize at least one of these? Good. Now you will do two things. First, tell me what I want to know. And second, if I like the answers and let you live...oh no...I won't turn you over to the police. No. I have a message for your employer. It goes something like this...Ah... **GET THE HELL OUT OF MY TOWN!** Get that? You can tell them all about these weapons too. Now, for my questions..."

Zelgadiss had seen Xelloss in his 'syndicate' mode before, like when he played out the end game with old-man Siegram in the senior residence. It was very disturbing, but at the same time supremely reassuring to know that Xelloss was on his side. He looked at the firearm entrusted to his care. Pretty thing, and deadly. It didn't look like the one he remembered Xelloss' father, DARKSTAR, had used up on that mountain last summer. He was certain that one had been black and with a smaller grip. This was more for appearance than for usefulness or comfort. He had a secret interest in guns, having spent time out at a firing range the summer before last with a few of the chemistry grad students. He'd become quite the sharpshooter...

"Zelgadiss, did you hear that?" Xelloss woke him from his reverie. "He said he was setting charges...a car, a free-standing building in back, and the front door. Lucky for those guys," he tilted his head toward the folks streaming out the wide-flung front doors of the shrine, "Phil and I took him out before he finished setting the charges out here." He gazed into Zel's eyes. "Go tell the bomb squad, but not about this guy. I got a little more questioning to do, and I don't want the police interrupting us, okay?"

Zel nodded and stood. He understood that Xelloss might not want him to overhear certain facts as well. Well, the least he could do was to run a little interference for him.

Zelgadiss found the police in charge, and then detective McGywn found him. Mayor Phil had left word with him that he was taking the girls to the hospital to be checked out and would be available for questioning later. He knew it would be a grueling night of reliving and retelling events before he got to sleep.

Later, McGywn found Xelloss and pulled him aside. "My son was home so I called him over to yur house to take yur girlfriend home. I called yur father, Rezo, and he sent one of the housekeeper's nephews over to stay in yur house until the window was repaired."

"Thank you, sir," Xelloss said meaningfully. "I'm sorry I ran out on you back there, but I had to get here and try and stop..."

"I understand, my boy. The little lady, she was shook pretty badly. Zangalus said that when he took her home, her father was upset as well. You'd best not call there until morning, and then be prepared for an unsympathetic reception."

Xelloss nodded.

"I'm putting Zangalus on that train with Zelgadiss and Amelia tomorrow. He wanted to visit that wild girlfriend of his, Martina, who is visitin' relatives up there in Alas City."

"Another set of eyes can't hurt," Xelloss agreed. "Thanks..."

Zelgadiss approached them and the detective told the boys to go home and get a few hours of rest.

That evening, it was deemed-- by all with opinions-- that it was safer in Atlas City for the kids than in Seyruun. For the time being, however, the biggest, most important winter events and celebrations were in full swing, the most important one being the parade the next day. Well, Zel and Amelia could miss that and leave next morning by train, as planned. Sylphiel, Xelloss, Val and Filia would stay for the parade, then leave. Extra security forces could be summoned to ensure the safety of the innocent citizens of Seyruun. This time, there was no amount of spin to be performed, no magic, to defray the costs to the Slayers. They couldn't hide any more. The kids were targets and now everyone knew it.

Val remained at the settlement as Xelloss had ordered him to, albeit unhappily. He had to be satisfied with being on the sidelines while his friends put their lives on the line..._again_. Not that he particularly wanted to die, but he wanted in on the action and he wanted to prove that he was as brave and tough a man as his comrades. It took both Julian and Milgasia to convince him that what Xelloss had told him was right- stay and protect Filia and the settlement. For the settlement was the last outpost unspoiled by the syndicate.

The three men were playing cards, biding their time, waiting for word from Nels Lahda, or McGywn, or one of their friends.

"So, whaddaya wanna feed Jillas and Gravos?" Val asked. "If the syndicate is lookin' fer a way inta the settlement, what should we go with?"

Milgasia was stumped. He sighed and drew a new card, then discarded one from his hand. "Well, I had a thought. There's a small house empty not far from the gatehouse. If you were to move in there, and let it be known..."

"Like a lure? Bait?" Julian asked.

"He could keep an eye on the gate. Intercept and send messages through his two...associates."

Val eyed them both suspiciously. "Mil, you tryin' ta get rid of me here?" he asked with a grin.

Julian looked up at the older man then asked, "You haven't told him?"

"Told me what?"

"Mil's getting married!" Julian exclaimed.

"You _are_? To _who_?" Val was skeptical. He hadn't seen or heard of his 'father figure' dating any ladies. He drew a card also, and then discarded.

Milgasia actually blushed and cleared his throat, "Well, ah...no one you've met. It just happened last night; that is, she agreed then, so I haven't told anyone but Julian here..."

Val could see he was getting no where fast. "Who is she?" he directed at Julian.

"A nurse from the Ancient territory that treated him last summer. They kept in touch." Julian leaned back, satisfied with his hand.

Val's grin turned wolfish. "Kept in touch, huh? Long distance?"

Milgasia blustered more, obviously a very private man unused to being the victim of the other two younger men's friendly banter. "Well, not really...She moved here shortly after you started back at school. We've kept it all very low key..."

"She's got the house you want me ta move into! I get it now... Hey, I don't wanna be crowdin' ya here."

Julian laughed as Milgasia blushed again and fumbled with his cards. "Yeah, who'd want to bring his young bride home with a rich hunk like you hanging around?"

"Now, Julian, I never said..." Milgasia tried to recover his pride.

They had a good laugh at Mil's expense. He knew he was a bit stuffy, but found that it was safe to let his hair down with these two. They discussed Val's move seriously and the kind of information that they should 'feed' Val's two followers. If they could control the syndicate through Val, it was a risk possibly worth taking.

That settled somewhat, Val brought up the country club contest. "Loud-mouthed…I don't remember his name," Val groused. "I'm kinda relying on you, here…"

Julian, newly promoted from tennis pro to business manager, advised Val to go for it. "Sounds like fun...make it a tennis competition, but I myself can't get away to play in the match, not with all the work I have getting settled in my new job. If the guy thinks that other place is so hot, then let him sponsor it. It would give you a chance to look it over for comparison."

Their conversation and card game was interrupted by the ringing of both Milgasia and Val's cell phones. The good news was all the kids were fine. The shrine had suffered damage to an unimportant outbuilding and a tree– that was all. It could have been much, much worse. Sylphiel's car was a burnt hulk, but she was unhurt and safe at home. Amelia and her father were also none the worse for wear and back at the mansion. Zel was scratched and bruised, but okay. He was spending the night (what was left of it) at McGywn's with Zangalus. In the morning, McGywn would pick up Amelia and take all three kids to the train station, providing the police escort. Xelloss was staying at the shrine, where he'd be ready to carry out his obligations the next day. Val's house...had been breeched but the window was repaired and tonight it was locked and under police guard.

"That's it fer me then. I'll tell Jillas and Gravos what we talked about and let them play go-betweens in the morning..." Val grumbled.

"It's already two in the morning. Call them now and go to bed before you forget. We have to be up at seven to prepare for the parade in town," Milgasia reminded them both.

"Seven...fer the luva..." Val grumbled more, but did as he was told.

The next day, before leaving the settlement to join in the festivities, Val called the tennis-dude, who called himself Ruud, and set up a match in Atlas city. He felt like he was in charge for a change. He smiled smugly. Xelloss wasn't the only one able to set things in motion.

A day later, a very quiet group, Xelloss, Sylphiel, Filia, and Val, arrived back in Atlas City. After catching up with the news and resting, they were all ready for playing music again. That evening they returned to Macross Studios to listen to what they had done so far and to run through a couple tunes, however, outside the studio was a small crowd waiting for them. Martina and Zangalus, they knew, but there was this other guy...

oo

"Oh, let me tell the story!" Sylphiel said in a shrill voice. I haven't had a turn at telling any of the Slayers stories!"

Lina's eyes narrowed, "I don't know… How good a writer are you?"

"I'll edit her stuff okay?"

Lina sighed, "Okay, if you do that, Filia, then…okay, but just this once because it's just too stupid for me to wanna do…Well go on then, get it over with!"

oo

**

* * *

****Tennis Anyone? **

Keithwas sooooo cool. He was a tall, older teen sporting a deep tan and sunglasses in winter, when there really wasn't sufficient sun to naturally produce the one or require the other, and dark hair worn chin-length with a center part. He was walking with that jaunty, I-am-so-cool, jock-type walk alongside his cousin Martina (if you can believe that!) and Zangalus.

I mean, like Martina, Zangalus and her cousin Keith show up at our studio all mad about being left out of CD. Well actually, only Martina was mad. Zangalus seemed to be more embarrassed- but then with Martina as a girlfriend, who wouldn't be? And Keith…who was just soooo cool… um, where was I going with this? Oh, yeah! Sadly though, Keith took a fancy to Lina, which further irritated Martina. She challenged Lina to a fight, but Val and Keith stepped in and suggested that they both enter the tennis contest.

'What tennis contest?' we all asked.

Well, before we could get an explanation from Val, or sigh Keith, a really pissed off Lina agreed to whatever, thinking she might get paired with Keith as a partner, I'm sure. Little did Lina know that Martina had reincarnated herself as a tennis pro and that Keith was one too! Of course, you could guess he was one just by the way he looked, but anyway, then Val called the other owner with the players' names and the man surprisingly agreed to take Lina as his teammate for a doubles match against Martina and Keith in the tournament.

oo

"How's that so far?" Filia asked Lina.

"It'll do, I guess, although there's too much emphasis on that Keith character and not enough on me. I'm the star, ya know! Now for the match though…" Lina grinned.

oo

Filia and me, er…ah…Sylphiel, didn't participate, so we just sat in the stands to watch. After Lina twisted their arms a little, Zel and Gourry agreed to watch, and they really got caught up in it! I was surprised at that so I interviewed them to learn why. So it turns out that Zel and Gourry have always shared a love of competitive sports, and although they didn't pursue them at school, they could be rapt observers. Lina and Zel had taken tennis lessons one summer and often had liked whacking the ball around. Zel knew all the leading professional tennis players and rattled off names and stats with rapidity, entertaining Gourry and, with less success us (Sylphiel and Filia.) Xelloss attended politely, but to him watching sports was as dry as dust. Amelia and Val were with the competitors, Lina in particular, who was champing at the bit to get a shot at Martina...er, playing tennis.

oo

"Okay, I'm going to write the next part, okay Sylph? I'm better at the dialogue parts."

"Oh, thanks Filia, I get all the little ''' marks confused sometimes," Sylphiel sighed.

oo

Amelia clamored back into her seat beside Zel. "These are first rounds. Martina will be up pretty soon and Lina later. They're still trying to get another pair to enter. You wouldn't be interested, would you Zelgadiss?"

He avoided her intense, blue eyes. "I don't think so."

She nodded. "It's the outfits, isn't it? The shorts and all, huh?"

Zel nodded, although that was the least of it; he wouldn't admit to being a bit afraid of going up against Lina, not after tying her up against her will...

"Oh, he's afraid of Lina," Gourry said aloud for him. "She's still thinking up ways ta get back at him."

"Thanks..." Zel sighed. He nearly throttled Gourry for telling everyone.

"That's okay," Amelia patted his leg affectionately. Before Zel could retort, she hopped out of her seat and shouted, "Look! There's Martina now! Do you see her, Mr. Xelloss!" She was trying to engage his attention too, concerned because he seemed so apathetic since he'd returned from Seyruun.

"Ah...yes..." was all he had to say. Xelloss sat in the stands wearing a really stupid, idiotic vacant expression-- totally bored and getting restless from the inactivity.

"I'll be back, Amelia whispered to Zel. "I want to check on how Miss Lina is holding up. She must be sooo nervous."

Martina and Keith quickly dispatched their first opponents. Obviously the two cousins were excellent tennis players. Martina completely humiliated her opponent with her show of skill. She may still have been awkward looking, but she used that as a way of distracting the others. While she would appear to be tripping over her own feet, she'd be nailing the ball into a far corner. As disturbing as it was to watch, it was also fascinating to see her promptly put away the competition.

Zel noticed that Xelloss (shudder) had left his seat. "Hey, Gourry, you see where Xelloss has gone?"

Gourry was shaking his head, not knowing and not caring particularly either (I mean, who else but Zel even noticed?) when Lina's flaming hair caught his eye and his face lit up. Zel, too, was distracted as the announcement roared over the loudspeakers that Lina and Keith are entering the court. Zel's misplaced concern over Xelloss' whereabouts was replaced, with shock when, to their surprise, their opponents were to be… **_Amelia and Xelloss_**! They had just now entered the tournament for fun. Xelloss had tired of just watching from the stands and Amelia was handy and willing.

"Amelia?" Zel gasped aloud. And to further separate himself from the rest of mankind, Zel continued to display his ignorance. To Gourry he remarked, "I didn't know she played tennis."

The smartly-dressed Filia, in a pastel pink faux-fur-lined cape, and Sylphiel, in a dreamy dark blue wool, both twisted around to berate the cold-hearted Zelgadiss, dressed in boring beige as usual. He might be smart but he could be the least observant most unromantic guy I've ever known…

"What kind of boyfriend are you?" Filia snapped. "How many times have you been up to her place? And you've never noticed the fantastic tennis courts she has there?"

"I never said I was her boy..."

"Didn't you and Xelloss, you know, live there when your house burned down?" Sylphiel asked.

"Yes, but, I never saw her play tennis, which was my point..." Zel tried weakly. He was just making excuses for his obvious stupidity and trying to sound all intellectual at the same time—typical nerd.

"We've all played tennis there, but Lina the most, I think, although..." Filia narrowed her eyes as Xelloss took a couple practice swings with his racket. "I know _he_ doesn't know the first thing about the game. He told me so."

"If Amelia's good, it won't matter," Zel noted.

"Don't matter anyway," Gourry put in. "Lina'll beat'em all."

Gourry was right. He usually was, too. Lina was not about to let anyone get in the way of her beating Martina-- Amelia or Xelloss included. Amelia was first to serve. She stood at the line and tossed the ball up, then took a perfect swing, sending the ball sailing into Lina's court with the precision of a trained player. Lina was not intimidated. When the ball bounced her way, she smacked it hard directly into Amelia's face, stunning her friend.

Zel found the move quite amusing, but Filia brought him up sharp with a swinging purse in his face. "That's not funny! That was against the rules!"

Indeed. Lina received a 'penalty' for the contact, and their game was called a tie, allowing both teams to move on to the semi-finals.

oo

"Um, Filia? Isn't it my turn to write now?"

"Oh, ah, of course, Sylph. I forgot. Here…"

oo

Several more teams came and went. Gourry visited the snack bar, sharing popcorn with us all. Xelloss and Amelia, tennis gear in hand awaiting their next match, rejoined us in the stands. Finally, Lina and Martina were to face off. Martina served and slammed the ball at Lina, hitting her.

oo

"You're rushing the story, Sylph. Here, give that to me…"

"Okay, Filia, but some parts are just so boring, you know?"

oo

"Man, she's good!" Gourry said with admiration.

"Nice to know she's good at something," Zel smiled knowingly at him. (He has a really sarcastic smile that needs correcting once in awhile.)

Her next serve drove the ball right through Lina's racket!

"Lina's racket must be defective!" Zel determined brilliantly.

After Lina missed a few more times, Xelloss quite calmly flipped his racket around, and seeing Lina's name on the handle, commented to Amelia, "Ah, I must have switched mine with hers as we were leaving the court..." The little twit! He had done that on purpose just to thwart Lina, I know it!

Gourry grabbed it and tossed it to Lina with a shout. "Lina! Take this!"

She didn't hear him in time. The racket struck her on the side of the head, but she ignored the pain like the trooper she is. One look at the label and she knew it was hers. "Yes!"

She took it up to go on playing better from there on out. Better than good; her tennis strokes were amazingly powerful. She sent and returned volley after volley, the balls flying at such speeds, with such force, that they were practically flaming. Her partner, the man…ah Ruud, never even had the chance to get a shot at the ball.

oo

"You were right, Sylph. It's pretty stupid. You can finish it…"

"Thanks, Filia!"

oo

So, ah…Martina and Keith lost.

Lina was victorious! The competition was declared over! Unfortunately because of that penalty, Amelia and Xelloss were awarded the win and given the prize (which I have to tell you was a really ugly little statue on a stand of a brass-toned racket.) It didn't matter though because, aside from Lina who was in it mostly to get Martina, they were playing for Val anyway. Amid their joy, Keith and Lina's partner, the rivals, embraced one another in joy too. Apparently, the two were father and son reunited! The problem now was that they were mad at their partners, Lina and Martina, for losing and so starting pelting them with tennis balls and calling them names.

Lina out ran them all and found her buddies still standing around waiting for her to go. "That was the stupidest tournament ever!" she announced.

"No kidding," Filia agreed. "And the award wasn't any better."

In the end, Lina declared herself the winner. But that wasn't the end. They discovered that the old tennis ace was an ex-partner in the Seyruun Country Club Val now owned. After leaving the club in Seyruun, the ex-partner moved to Atlas City and opened a competitive fitness center in Atlas City, which he had kept a secret from Val and everyone else. He's also kept it a secret that he was Keith's father.

oo

"Okay I changed my mind. Give it over, Sylph."

"Again? You know, Filia, I could be doing something else right now…"

"Oh yeah? Hold it. Let me finish this then tell me."

oo

"Why did you plan this whole thing?" Lina insisted. She hated to have her time wasted for nothing.

"Oh...I was teaching my son a lesson...Ha, ha, ha..." Ruud dude chuckled.

None of them understood. Or cared. At least I didn't and everyone else was just standing there looking stupid.

"Let's just go home now," Zel suggested. This was the first intelligent thing he'd said all day, to my mind.

"Can we stop at Candy's and pick her up?" Xelloss asked. "When I called this morning I thought we'd have been done earlier and that, well...she's expecting me to pick her up to go skiing." He always had some favor to ask to mess up the plans.

"Skiing? You're not even going to go home and rest a day? Oh...all right, sure. We'd better get going then." Lina said.

"So Candy's forgiven you for runnin' out on her to save the world?" Val asked half jokingly.

"Ah...I'm hoping she will. That's what the ski trip's for," Xelloss admitted. "If it were just up to me, we'd skip the ski part entirely."

"I bet!" Val chuckled and slapped him on the back. I don't really want to know what their joke was all about, but I can guess.

oo

"So that's it. Lina, look it over and keep it or not. It's not very good. It wasn't as interesting as I thought it was at the time."

"Okay, Filia, but like I said it was stupid. You just liked watching that Keith guy, right?"

"You liked him too! Oh I just knew it!" Sylphiel shrieked.

"Ah…not really…" Lina muttered.

"Well, at least I don't have to write the next part," Filia sighed. "It's just too…"

"Now don't say anything. You'll spoil everything!" Lina interrupted.

oo

**

* * *

****Breaking up is so very hard to do.**

The van pulled up to Candy's university residence. "Give us fifteen minutes to collect her," Zel said, and then jumped out after Xelloss.

"Better not take any longer!" Lina shouted. "We wanna go home!"

"Hi, John!" Xelloss greeted him. "Candy down yet? I called to tell her I was coming. Oh, hi, Candy? Where's your stuff? Lets go!"

John took Zel by the elbow and shepherded him away from the kitchen where Candy had been. "Something happened. That Kerel dude dropped her here earlier, then left, but...she seemed upset."

She turned from his open-arm greeting. "Xelloss..." Candy began, her voice shaking. "I-I can't go now."

"Oh?" He lowered his arms to his sides. "Well, sure. The rest of the band's in the van. We can go and drop them off first... We have instruments to unload, too. I can come back for you later then. That sound better?"

"Um..." Her eyes welled up with tears. "I-I can't go at all."

"At...all? Oh? Well, then...that's too bad." He brightened. He wasn't so keen on the skiing anyway. "Hey, don't cry. It's okay with me. We'll do something else. We have a few days. We can go anyplace you like...or nowhere if you just want to..." He stopped talking and wrapped his arms around her trembling shoulders. "It's okay...really. There's nothing to cry about, Candy." He hugged her and tried to look into her eyes, smiling all the while. "I'm not mad or anything. I'm not even disappointed, really!" He was mystified by her low spirits.

"Y-you don't understand," she whimpered.

"Right..." he agreed.

"I can't go at all. Anywhere right now..."

"This is about your father, isn't it? I know he doesn't like me very well, but I haven't had a fair..."

"N-no...not him..." her voice shuddered.

"You're not sure I care about you enough? What if I...told you I loved you? Yeah, lots. And I..." He had just decided that.

"Xelloss! No, stop...don't say that...I...I..."

"What is it?" he asked, desperation setting in.

"I'm pregnant. I just tested and found out. I...I don't even know what to do yet."

Zel heard that and riveted his attention on Xelloss' rigid body. His friend's face blanched, his eyes glazed over. Oh Xelloss...what have you gotten yourself into now?

However, Xelloss shook his head. "That's not possible."

That's right, Zel noted, doing the math. They had hardly dated a month ago; in fact, they had been out of town doing that first recording around Thanksgiving. Besides, Xelloss wasn't that stupid and his luck couldn't possibly be that bad.

"Unless..."

She shook her head. "It just happened. It was Thanksgiving break and you weren't around and he was...he came over...he missed me so much...he wanted me back... and it just happened. Afterwards, I told him that I'd just met someone else and I wanted to give that a chance and that he couldn't come see me again." She shuddered more and tried to take a deep breath to go on.

"If the shoe fits..." he thought humorlessly remembering Val's apt, as it turned out, analogy from a few days ago. Xelloss helped her to a couch and balanced himself on the arm to listen.

"I was at dad's and feeling so tired...listless, then I called a girl friend and she suggested that I do the test and...I did just this morning and...it was positive...two different tests. I called Kerel and told him. He...he brought me here and left. I wanted to tell you without him around. I- I'm not sure what to do..."

Xelloss mustered his strength and said, "You have some choices. You can...marry me. I'd be proud to...do that. But...I imagine Kerel's said the same thing, right? He wants to marry the mother of his child and...we both know how he feels about you. So, I guess you can marry him, too, right? Or you can do neither and raise your baby without a father. It's up to you."

"Xelloss..."

He dropped to one knee, "I meant that. Would you marry me?"

Zelgadiss turned away and covered his face with a hand. John whispered something and the two guys moved off a little ways to give the couple some privacy. "I hope she says 'no'," Zel mumbled. "For her sake. And for his."

"Oh, Xelloss...you make this so hard. You are so interesting and handsome and talented and...exciting, but..."

"But...you don't want me, do you?"

She shook her head. "I told him 'yes'."

At that moment, Kerel dashed through the front doors with a shout. "Your dad said 'yes'! He's so happy for us, Laila!" Then he halted at the sight of her tear-streaked face and Xelloss' solemn one. "Laila?"

Xelloss hopped to his feet, his face an unreadable mask. "She was just telling me the...good news. Let me congratulate you on your upcoming nuptials."

He held out his hand. Kerel grasped it tentatively at first, then matched his smile and shook, "Yeah, thanks." Kerel shook his head and looked chagrined. "It's all so sudden, you know? I don't know what I'm gonna do if I transfer to this university. I was on a sports scholarship at the other place." He sighed and shrugged. "I can work, I suppose..."

Xelloss smiled and took out his cell phone. "Let me take care of that... Hello, Mr. Fribrizzo? Xelloss here. Find thanks... Ah, yes. I'd like to cover a scholarship for a friend who'll be losing one when he changes schools..." Xelloss continued to provide his lawyer with Kerel's name and school. After a minute, he concluded the call and hung up. "Done. Consider it my wedding gift to you both."

John gasped, "What a class act..." then moved toward Candy and Kerel to offer his congratulations.

Xelloss ensured the couple that he was on the level and began to extricate himself from the scene. Zelgadiss stepped swiftly to intercept Xelloss on his exit path to the door, when Lina flew into the building, door crashing open. "What are you two doing in here, Xelloss? Time to go or we leave you here. That goes for you too, Zel!"

There, for a moment, illuminated by the warm entry light, stood Lina, Zelgadiss, and Xelloss, people out of time and place– ethereal apparitions from some fantasy story, all decked out in flashy clothes and brilliant-hued hair. Laila-Candy, John, and Kerel, their counterparts in sepia-tones, were part of the real world with real problems and simple lives which sometimes touched those in the other world. They called those contacts 'supernatural events'.

"Goodbye," Xelloss said quietly and turned to the exit, whispering to Zelgadiss, "Get me the hell out of here."

A quick look and Zel knew his friend was on the verge of breaking down. "Right," he answered and stepped out into the night, Xelloss and Lina at his side.

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 33.


	34. Guys and Dolls

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 34 **

**Guys and Dolls**

_Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.—Swedish Proverb_

* * *

"You know what the worst part was, don't you?"

"Worst part of what?" Lina looked at Xelloss. He could be talking about just about anything. Out the van window beyond his face, she could see the empty pumpkin fields, frosted with ice, the sky heavy with moisture-laden clouds. Angst, she just hated angst.

He hadn't said a word to anyone about his breakup with Candy or the syndicate activity in Seyruun. He had hardly said a word at all, which was not normal. They were all growing concerned. The CD had been completed only days ago and was currently in production, Zolf overseeing it for the time being. Things could be fine, should be great! Xelloss, however, had just lost his girlfriend to another guy, sinking him into an understandable, mild melancholy.

Additionally, the Slayers had returned to town but it wasn't the same friendly place anymore. Mrs. Shearer's nieces had cleaned the boys' house well. There was no sign of a struggle or broken glass. Sheets were changed, walls washed, carpets cleaned. But all of their homes were being violated one by one, bothering them all—but driving Xelloss into his own head for safety.

Joey brought back Xelloss' goldfish bowl the moment his brother got home and agreed to drive him over. But when he arrived, Xelloss took no notice of it or him. Joey left with his feelings injured. Gourry, gods love him, told his little brother to grow up and try to sympathize with his friend or at least be supportive or, if those social skills weren't within his realm of competency then... just shut up about it.

Later that evening of their return home from Atlas City, there was another incident. When Val had taken out the trash, he had found the mostly full pill cases Xelloss had tossed out. When he questioned him, Xelloss said that he was stopping his medication-- that he was tired of trying to be someone else. Then he closed himself in his room. An hour later, he stormed out of the house...without a coat.

Zelgadiss was out picking up Beast, so it was up to Val to watch his foster-step-something-brother. He was shirtless in the house, but outside it was still near freezing and Val was no idiot; he took a moment to slip on his leather coat before loping out the door in pursuit. Of course, because he was in a hurry, he neglected to lock the door behind him.

When Zelgadiss and his wolf-dog got home, they quickly toured the house looking for the occupants. Beast whined.

"Yeah, I don't see them either, but the door's open. Let's check again," Zel said with a scratch to the ears.

In Xelloss' room he found a note on the computer, which confirmed his suspicions. He had just e-mailed it to all the Slayers. It read:

_An open letter to my dearest friends,_

_For so long I have been going thru something comparable to Hell because I can't slow down and know it and never see what's coming next. It's a crappy cycle and it ends in total depression and isolation from everyone. That is really simplifying the whole ordeal but I am sure you understand without my going into too much detail. I tried to deal with what is wrong with me alone, and not understood how that made it worse, and that it was not my fault in any way, shape or form. You cannot imagine the frustration of being bright but not being able to find a career or make a sound decision._

_With me taking my medicine as directed, I thought that eventually, at least by now, that I would be fine-- but I was not, **am** not. I still can't focus completely at school, work, home, and with my band-family, at times I thought that I was getting better._

_You, my friends, have given me the much needed support required for me as I have attempted to stabilize myself mentally. I still have hope that things will change and I am looking forward to life more than ever before, which is why I've decided to ditch the medication and just be…well me- the way the gods made me. So if I seem a little 'off' please try and look the other way and forgive…_

_Thank you for putting up with me and for being my friends and I mean that from the bottom of my heart._

_-- Your friend, always,_

_Xelloss_

On his desk were the room confirmations for himself and Candy for some local mountaintop resort. Xelloss had tried so hard...

Zel left the room with the papers and called Lina. Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone, or at least tuck his worries away about two of his friends a little bit longer, or maybe just assuage his guilt from not acting sooner. He had not done enough to help Xelloss, he knew that. He had just let things go thinking the poor guy could take care of himself. And Lina…he had avoided direct confrontation with her like the plague since the 'use her to get Dilgear' incident, and now he could feel a wall building up between them. All right, so he was using Gourry as a barrier, but so was she, maybe. Well, time to do something, he decided.

"Lina, Zel here."

"I just got home. Can't you guys leave me alone for and hour before buggin' me with all your problems?" Lina hollered irritably into the receiver.

"Two hours and forty-five minutes. Yeah, I have an idea...want to go skiing? No, I never have either, but how hard can it be?"

By the time Val returned with a shivering, distraught Xelloss, Lina and Zel had a whole new adventure planned. He would do something to get Xelloss' mind off his recent breakup, _plus_ Zel could keep that promise he had made Xelloss in order to get him to give up his front seat in the van for Lina. He would keep his promise and more, because he just _had_ to do something nice for Lina. She was still a little resentful since he had over-powered her and tied her up, he knew. Oh, she acted like everything was all right by making no attempts to talk about it. She had put up a tough front dismissing him with 'I let you, get it?' But he knew that it wasn't so. He could hear it in her voice.

And so ...:mAgIcAlLy:... the Slayers were back on the road, a short trip this time, to a resort not far above the apple orchards they had visited in fall. This was the vacation they had all needed after the last eventful ten days and before they had to go back to school. Rodimus and Zolf had been formally promoted to full-time positions with the band, which included security guard duty. For this impromptu trip, Rodimus volunteered to do the driving. Zolf, still in Atlas City, would drive up later that night after putting the CD to bed.

Understandably, then, Lina was worried about Xelloss and hoped that this little vacation would do the trick. He needed to talk about things and yet was internalizing it all instead, just like another friend she could think of but wouldn't because then she might start thinking about her own inadequacies and **that**…was _not_ a possibility! Not that she was the one to draw out anyone's darkest feelings, but she volunteered to sit beside him for part of the ride to try.

"Worst part of what?" Lina looked at Xelloss. "I mean, it's been a pretty eventful past few days, eh?"

"The most difficult part of the entire CD making process."

"Oh, yeah that. Ah... Agreeing on the song order?" she tossed out.

"Nooooo. Getting Zelgadiss to let the photographer do the CD cover pictures." Xelloss smiled...a fleeting smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Lina chuckled, "Yeah. That photographer really had a thing for him too, Musta taken a couple hundred close-ups of just him alone."

"You, too..."

"Yeah, 'course that goes without saying. He knew supreme beauty when he saw it, right?"

Xelloss nodded and looked away out the window. "Yes."

"Didn't he tell you you outta be a model or somethin'?"

Xelloss shrugged.

And that was that. No more smiles and no chat, but no tears either. Lina was thankful that Candy had put off the breakup until after the CD was done. He didn't look like he could care a flying fig about anything. She glanced over Zel's way. He looked happy, oddly enough. _Well, just wait until he has to get Xelloss to face classes at the university! Both Eris and Candy...every day! Yeah, that would wipe the smile off anybody's face. Was he looking happy or just smug?_

Lina noticed Xelloss' hands. Moving. Getting fidgety. "Hey, Val? Put in a CD...that one Xelloss had wanted me to listen to...Aqua. Yeah, Aqua. Go to the one called Cartoon Heroes. He thinks you and I outta do that as a duet!"

The deep gravely voice of the male singer contrasted sharply with the youthful soprano of the girl's. "Oh yeah...funny, too!" Val laughed.

"It's a good idea," Lina said to Xelloss with a nudge.

Xelloss turned his eyes to meet hers. "I'm glad you like it." He began tapping rhythmically, keeping to the music's rhythm, then changed the accents to a syncopated beat, but the spark was gone.

Lina hoped this trip would break his mood. "So, Zel tells me he made ya some kinda promise. This isn't something embarrassing for him, is it? Not that I mind, but I'm usually the one ta get him."

"On the contrary. I expect he will find the entire experience pleasurable."

"No kidding?" She raised an eyebrow. "So...what is it all about then?"

He opened his mouth to speak, and then thought a moment longer before eventually saying, "You'll find out shortly."

"I will? No...secret stuff?"

"No secret stuff. You'll like it too, I suspect. Everyone will."

"Even you?"

He shrugged and closed his eyes, ending the conversation.

She wanted to hit him and beat on him, anything to get some emotional response. This listless man at her side was scarier than any she had known. And with Xelloss, there were many different personalities from which to choose.

Amelia was lively on the road to the ski lodge, which was a nice change from the sad little girl who lost her favorite cousin and the subdued one thereafter. Lina and Zelgadiss had confided in her a few of the plans for the next couple of days, getting her excited, and now she was sitting beside Zel, again. She was thrilled each time his eyes shifted in her direction or he spoke to her in particular, seeking out her opinion. Ever since the near disaster at the shrine he had been extra attentive, she thought. He called that night after he was settled in at Zangalus'. Her daddy had taken the call...

"Hello, Mayor Phil here. Is this Zelgadiss? It's very late, son, but I'm sure you know that. How are you and that brother of yours?"

"I'm fine. Xelloss agreed to stay at the shrine, but he was all right, unhurt anyway. Can I...ah...speak to Amelia?"

"No, she's sleeping. I can tell you she was scratched up a bit, but she's a strong, brave girl. She'll be just fine with some rest– Sylphiel, too." Phil cleared his throat. "What you did out there...that was a very courageous deed, young man."

"Well...ah...I was lucky. It could have been worse..."

"Nels Lahda and his wife might have been killed if you hadn't diverted that car. They were seated by the window waiting for their daughter to come home."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I'm glad it turned out that way. I'm glad no one was hurt."

"We all are. It's been a long night and now it's well into the wee hours of the next morning. I'll see you ah…shortly. Try and get a little rest now, son."

"I will. I plan to sleep on the train ride. 'Night then."

"Goodnight, Zelgadiss."

_He had called her to see if she was okay! _Amelia sighed, overflowing with good feelings.

As tired as she was the next morning, _that _news had lifted her spirits the instant she was told. Amelia climbed into the car beside Zelgadiss on their way to the train station, a smile in her heart. Zolf was waiting for them, as Zangalus, Zelgadiss, and McGywn moved like zombies through the train station. Amelia was bleary-eyed but 'felicity' was her middle name.

McGywn bid them farewell and they boarded the train. Amelia was looking forward to sitting beside Zelgadiss for the next few hours and couldn't wait to find their seats and get settled. She was bubbling over with a combination of joy and excitement, but worked very hard to contain her exuberance around the older men– she wanted to impress upon them all that was a mature young woman.

From the moment the train began to move, Amelia could tell Zel was not going to be much of a conversationalist. He leaned his head back on the seat and promptly fell asleep. She felt sorry for him. She had her balled-up coat to use as a pillow, he had nothing. His body slumped to the side and she got an idea. Ever so gently, she guided his head onto her lap, providing a soft and comfortable cushion. He grunted once, and then settled into his cozy nest for the duration of the trip.

Recalcitrant. That would be Zelgadiss when it came to romance or nearly anything. It was very difficult to direct his course of action without his prior approval. If he respected your authority, as with an instructor, or Lina, then he might be less resistant. It would have to also pass his logic system. He also didn't flirt; he didn't know how to. And why should he? Looking the way he did, one presumed, it would be ludicrous to think he could set anyone's heart aflutter. Wouldn't it? He treated girls pretty much like guys and survived all the social encounters he couldn't avoid. Of course, he had feelings, the stirring inside normal for a guy his age, but he could put anything remotely related to 'desire' into deep suppression. At least he tried to. Amelia was chipping away at his protective barrier bit by bit.

From Amelia's standpoint, that impediment was what made him so attractive to her– he was genuine and unique and... inexperienced. She would say 'sweet', but that didn't fit his personality and 'chaste', well, it didn't sound manly enough. Compared to Xelloss he was unsophisticated. She trusted him and he never pushed her into any situation she wasn't ready for. And yet...he was older and so mature (in other ways) with a sexy, soft, low voice, and he was smart. He was light on his feet when he danced and had good table manners. He had single-handedly saved Sylphiel's parents. Zelgadiss was brave and noble and a really good person! It was just that…maybe if she asked, Xelloss could give him a few pointers on how to be more romantic…

"Zelgadiss? I know you can't hear me but... did you know you undid the past? Your grandfather blew up a shrine, killing Sylphiel's birth parents, and you saved her adoptive ones. You're a real hero to them...and me, too." Amelia whispered this with a smile, carefully avoiding touching his face or hair, which might disturb his sleep.

And he was her friend, no matter what. That made her feel all warm inside. Of course, his body was giving off some heat, too. The warmth, the gentle rocking of the train and the humming drone of the engines, plus a serious lack of Zs the night before, worked like a magic spell, lulling her to sleep moments later.

Zangalus, low on sleep himself, stretched out across a couple empty seats and nodded off five minutes out of the station. He hadn't done much, but he had been a participant in the events the evening before. After checking out the house Zel, Xelloss, and Val shared, out of curiosity mostly while feigning interest in Candy's sob story of Xelloss' neglect in her time of peril, he drove the poor girl back to her father's house for the night. There, he extracted himself quickly and returned home. He had finished watching an old movie on the TV when his father came home with Zelgadiss, an over-night guest once again. Once he had helped Zel find a sleeping bag, it was morning and they would be lucky to get a couple hours of sleep before having to get up to catch their train. Now he was content to be able to stretch out and nap. He was oblivious to the cozy couple resting across from him.

Zolf, who had heard about the shrine attack on the radio, was now reading the paper's take on the entire fiasco the night before.

**SLAYERS Should be Called the SAVERS!** -- ran one headline. That article favored the kids for saving the shrine.

**SLAYERS Come to Town and Bring on Attacks!** - ran another. This reporter was attempting to place the blame on the kids for attracting unsavory people into Seyruun. He used as supporting evidence, the fan mass in Sairaag, the Kanzel/Mazenda assault on the Mayor...and he was digging further...Atlas City...and that would lead him to more. Zolf was concerned. This reporter could endanger the kids. As soon as the three kids were secured on the train, he left his seat to place a call (Zangalus quickly made use of the vacated place to make himself more comfortable).

"Hello. Agent Zolf speaking. We have a code 98. Oh, hi... Yes, Miss Inverse is fine and not involved. I just talked to Agent Rodimus this morning, and he told me that she was sleeping, so... no; she hasn't heard the news yet. Yes...yes... If that's what you want. Consider it done. Good day to you, ma'am."

Xelloss had fallen into silence, leaving Lina alone with her thoughts. She had really enjoyed the other evening with just Gourry... and old Rodimus glued to the TV and snoring in the den. No angst. No arguments. No tension. No deep, insightful discussions either, but, hey, can't have it all, right?

There was plenty to munch on, as she recalled...four bowls of microwaved popcorn and a half-quart of milk definitely had helped her wind down at last. She and Gourry were watching the final rented movie– a vampire story based on a popular book which she had read already.

"What do ya think about those clothes? Think the band would go for that gothic vampire look?"

"Huh? Like that guy? Ruffled shirts?"

"Yeah, like Lestat."

"I dunno. The short-pants...I like mine regular length, ya know?"

"I know, but this would be for our band's costume. You'd look cool in black velvet knee pants, long white socks...one of those blousy shirts...Look! See, he sword fights like you do."

"He's holdin' it all wrong. If he...ah, no, now he's lungin' wrong and leavin' himself open, see? 'Course he's just an actor, not a real sportsman," Gourry reasoned fairly.

"But that Aragorn guy did all right, you said, right?"

"Yeah. He studied real good. He knew how ta handle a long heavy sword."

Lina nodded. He would know better than her. "I'm right about the clothes, though. Oh, nice cravat...the tie thingy."

"Not for playin'. Too hot."

"'Kay...you guys can wear your shirts open to the navel and I'll wear the cravat! Vest, too, in brocade... Think we can find stuff like that at those outlet stores? Probably not. Resale."

"Be right back..." Gourry carried the empty bowls and glasses into the kitchen and quickly washed up. He knew Zelgadiss would have a fit the next day if he came back and saw a mess in the kitchen. He was odd that way, but Gourry didn't mind. Next, he took out a pair of lean mugs, filled them each partway with milk and loaded them into the microwave. He found the bottle of vanilla Zel had bought for desserts and a bag of brown sugar. When the milk was warmed thoroughly, he measured a teaspoon of vanilla and a couple tablespoons of sugar into each cup, and then stirred.

"Gourry? You comin' back?"

"Inna minute!"

Now for the special part. Three big spoonfuls of malt. He stirred, checked the temperature– um...real good– then carried his late-night snack back.

"Oooooh that smells good!" Lina squealed. "Thanks! You're pretty handy to have around."

Gourry hid his satisfied smile until it appeared more meek than overjoyed. "Careful, it's kinda hot. This _oughta._ help ya fall asleep."

As he passed her the mug, their hands touched; his so large and rough with calluses and hers petite and falsely delicate looking. Lina looked up, but he was intent on watching the mugs and not spilling the hot drinks. _Pretty nice guy…thinking about my needs, huh? Well, he oughta.. _Aloud, she replied, "Like I need _that_. It's okay, though. It's tasty..."

She felt the warmth of his arm brushing against hers and felt the heat start to rise to her face at the contact. This time when she looked up, she caught his warm, appreciative gaze. _Oh, dear gods…_ With an effort, she re-focused on the TV. _Yes, nothing like a great big blood-sucker to kill any ardor_. "Oh! Look at those shoes with the heels and buckles! I gotta get a pair of those!"

"Oh, I fergot ta give ya somethin' else," Gourry said. He unfolded his long legs, stretched across the floor to grab his coat. From one of the large side cargo pockets he withdrew a pair of CD's. "Here. I gotcha these at that concert."

"Huh? **_TMR_**! Whoa! You can't get these in Seyruun yet! Say, thanks! I'm gonna put one on now, ya know, to fall asleep to."

"Umm... You need anythin'? 'Nother blanket? Pillow?"

"Naw, I'm plenty warm...with this milk and all." She turned off the TV and flashed him a smile. The one he returned was casual and genuine. _Yeah, this was fun and cozy. _

All they needed was a big furry dog...

Rodimus was frying bacon around ten in the morning, which aroused the sleeping kids in the front room. "I needed some meat, hope ya don't mind."

"_Mind_? No, just make sure you make _plenty_!" Lina grumbled. She hated mornings, but she liked bacon. _Bacon_...

_Um...bacon..._ Lina blinked. Xelloss was watching her. "What?" she questioned him.

"You said 'bacon'. You're not going to eat me, are you? I'll warn you, I'm tough."

"Eat you? Nah, but I could go for something..."

"Miss Lina! We're stopping for lunch here. I've been telling everyone about this place. A real Scandinavian-type smorgasbord. All you can eat!"

"Good timing!" Lina announced.

"You don't know _how_ good!" Xelloss smiled. "Thank you, Amelia. You just saved my 'bacon'!"

Lina groaned at the bad joke, but was relieved to hear a semblance of the old Xelloss again.

After that, she paid him no heed, or anyone else, until she had seated herself at their huge plank table with two heaping plates of food. Only two. That's all that they would allow her to take– one for salad and one for the main dishes. She could go back for more helpings as often as she desired, and did she desire...

Xelloss ate, but lightly, finding himself with time to talk while the others ate and listened. "Amelia, the last time you brought us up here, Lina and Zelgadiss and myself, we didn't eat here. I had noticed the signs in passing, and later, when I got home, I looked into this little village." He paused to sip his tea. "I discovered a very interesting place..."

"Oh, really Mr. Xelloss? Shall we go visit it? Do you _want_ to?"

"Well..." his voice took on a mysterious tone and his eyes shone, "After what I tell you, _you_ can decide."

Sylphiel shivered. "Ooooh, Xelloss! You make me feel all creepy when you talk like that!"

"He makes me feel creepy _any_ way he talks," Filia joked.

"If you're not interested..." he murmured.

"Tell us the story," Lina demanded.

"Very well... there is a tale about a tower nearby, which tells of a clever doll-maker. Now, this craftsman hates people for some reason not understood. But more importantly, he conceals in his abode...a great _mystery_."

This was said in a hollow tone that made Sylphiel shriek, interrupting the narration. "I don't want to go there! Why would _anybody_!"

"Why, indeed?" he shrugged and tilted his head toward her. "It is said that this...puppet master holds the answer to your heart's desire, whatever that might be, if...you can get past his animated marionette guards at his door."

Xelloss' recitation made it a lot spookier than Zelgadiss thought was necessary, and was about to kill the mood, when the restaurant's owner stopped by their table to hand them their dessert plates.

"It's one of those **robot dolls**!" Sylphiel screamed and pointed to the startled man. She jumped from her seat so quickly she jostled the table. "It's **_possessed_**!"

The man moved rather mechanically, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly at that accusation, leading the others' active imaginations to get a bit carried away.

"Gaaah!" Val shouted.

"Eeeeek!" Filia and Amelia squealed.

"What?" Lina stood on her chair seat ready to fight the giant.

Gourry's arm shot out and knocked the man's arm, sending the tiny plates sailing through the air. "Nooooooo!"

"Ahhhhhhh!" Syphiel and Zelgadiss just freaked out, although Zel was mostly affected by the flying china heading his way.

Xelloss moaned, "There goes dessert..."

"Oh, no! Not _me!_ No, no...you must be thinking of the occult doll maker. I overheard you talking about the shop..."

Lina grabbed the restaurant owner's sleeve. "You mean...that story was TRUE?"

Nodding, the man added, "Oh, yes...I can tell you from experience that the man really does hate other people."

"Then why does he run a retail business?" Zel asked shrewdly.

"His brother did originally, while he made the dolls. His brother passed away a few years back and he...rarely lets anyone in and never sells a doll, but they say he keeps on making them..."

Zel bit back a cutting remark about a man playing with dolls... when the owner began to tell them more. "I was told that the only way to get in was to disguise yourself– to dress like animals!"

"Of course. Something demeaning..." Zel noted bitterly.

In the meantime, Val settled the bill. Sylphiel, with Filia on her tail, ran up to him, "You don't want to go in that place, do you? Lina's going to...Gourry will have to...Amelia's all gung-ho..."

"I refuse to get caught up in one of Xelloss' schemes," Filia announced.

"Okay. I'll let'er know. We'll find some other places ta hang."

Amelia was drilling the restaurant owner for costume shops, leaving Lina to rally the troops. Gourry, as Sylphiel had pointed out, consented grudgingly. Zel, even more grudgingly, and only after Lina insisted that there was something in it for him. What? She couldn't say, but she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Xelloss cheerfully volunteered to accompany Amelia to collect appropriate attire.

"You do that," Val chuckled with a lovely lass on each arm. "We're checkin' out the scene. Catch ya later!" And with that said, the three of them marched away.

Amelia and Xelloss were quickly dispatched to do their 'thing', while Lina led Gourry and Zel to the gift store not far down the road from the restaurant. They all agreed to meet out in front of the doll maker's shop in a half an hour.

"Mr. Xelloss? This bag sure is heavy. Is yours heavy, too?" Amelia asked, her voice catching in her throat as she staggered along. Her sack was in fact so large that she couldn't see around it.

"Not particularly... Oh look! There's Zelgadiss and Lina and Gourry, too." His bag of rental clothes was far smaller, although heavier, or so he claimed. He wasn't a very good drudge. "I'll go run up ahead and see if they have found the shop."

Their destination was not just any ole cheap souvenir shop; they could tell the moment they reached the correct address. The property was set back off the road a ways and was surrounded by a high hedge of dark yews. The multistory, forbidding looking building with drab stone siding and narrow high windows sported a rather singular tall tower.

"This isn't a...syndicate hideout, is it?" Amelia asked Xelloss as she huffed and puffed trying to keep up with him.

"Not that I know of," he smiled. But the fear in her eyes convinced him to modify his weak joke. "Ah, no, Amelia, it's not...I'm certain. It's unusual, however. Hello, everybody!"

"Guess we found it," Lina remarked. "Let's go in."

"Shouldn't we put on the costumes first?" Xelloss asked.

"Oh for gods'sakes, you don't believe all that crap, do you?"

"Well..." he began, but Lina was already at the door.

Gourry knocked first, and then tried the door. It was a business, they should just be able to walk in, right? "It's open."

Once inside, the small gathering took a few minutes to allow their eyes to adjust to the dim light. Here and there, the shadows gradually transformed into shapes and those shapes into dozens upon dozens of pallid arms, legs, and faces. They were surrounded. There were hundreds of dolls, each exquisite and unique and...eerie.

Their movements stirred up dust which hung in the air, floating mist-like, visible in the wan light streaming through the dirty, slitted windows. Overhead dangled marionettes with garish grins. They appeared to be suspended mid-air and were all staring...down...at...them...

"Creepy..." Amelia whispered in dismay.

"Are you scared, Miss Lina?" Xelloss purred in her ear.

"Certainly not," she assured him, but her voice betrayed her with a tiny tremor.

He smiled to himself. He raised a finger, cold from the out of doors, and poked the back of her neck.

"AHHHH!" Lina screamed in terror. She spun around and dashed for the door.

"Eeeeeahhhh!" Amelia echoed her and bolted as well, with Zelgadiss, Gourry, and Xelloss at her heels.

Catching their breath outside again, gave them a chance to reassess their plans. "Okay, so it's a lot creepier than I thought it would be," Lina gave him.

"So now what?" Gourry asked, ready to leave.

"I say we put on the costumes, since Amelia carried them all this way."

"I carried..." Xelloss began.

"Here, Amelia, be a star!" Lina shoved a bright starfish costume into her arms. She had her eye on some shiny pink fur. "I'll take this..." Lina's pick turned out to be a pink horse. "Xelloss, you like green..."

"Well, not particularly..." he complained as he unfolded a multi-green ensemble he knew to be a frog. However, he certainly did not want the costume currently being pushed on Zelgadiss.

"Damnit, Lina!" Zel balked. "Why is it I always get the rabbit costume? Xelloss, trade."

But Xelloss had hopped behind a hedge of shrubbery to strip and don his form-fitting attire.

"Heh, heh…That's right! You were that white rabbit guy at our end of year tea party, weren't ya?"

"…" Zel's glare was cold as ice.

Which Lina ignored. "Oh, Gourry, this has to be yours. You're the only one tall enough for this." Lina jammed the costume bag in his arms.

He looked at it confused. "What is it?"

"What does it matter? Just put it on!"

"O-kay. Lina."

"Hurry up, then help me cram Zel into his bunny suit."

"Don't touch me!" Zel growled dangerously. "Ahhhh!"

Lina stuffed him into it anyway.

"I feel ridiculous in this!" he said sulkily, one ear flopping over his eye. He brushed it away furiously.

"Nice ass," Xelloss giggled. "I mean..._tail_..." He flicked Zel's white puff in passing.

Zel struck out with a fist, connecting with Xelloss' froggie eye bobbing to the side of his head.

The rest of group wasn't entirely happy either. Amelia had chosen that pink pony outfit for herself. Pink was her favorite color, after all, and she had collected all those little pony dolls, not Lina! Oh well, it wasn't worth fighting about. She didn't want it to come out that she had selected the bunny suit with Zel in mind.

Xelloss felt a bit exposed, but had no one to blame; he had chosen the frog suit, which featured tights again, but a cool top hat. "Does this suit make my legs look skinny?" he asked looking down. He lifted one leg, bending it at the knee, and wiggled his foot. The huge feet flopped around. "I hope I don't trip in these."

"It's obsssscene," Zel hissed in his ear, then smirking meaningfully added, "Don't get excited in that!" The startled look he got in response satisfied his need to even up the score for the 'tail' quip.

Gourry, on the other hand seemed entirely satisfied as a six and one half foot jellyfish. He waltzed around, gently swaying tentacles mixing with his hair.

"Okay, let's try this again." Lina snagged Gourry by a tentacle, or lock of hair...didn't matter to her... and pulled him toward the entry.

This time when they entered the shop, the five kids were greeted by a tall, pale man dressed in long, flowing black robes topped comically by a lavender and black jester hat. "Good day," he drawled, removing his hat with a dramatic flourish. His hair fell free in long waves that held a greenish cast. "I am...Joe." He replaced his hat on his head and gestured toward Lina. "What may I do for you today?"

"Ah..." Lina studied his face. What a nutcase! She was taken aback by this performance, but then, she was the master of her universe, she remembered, and bucked up. "Joe, huh? Just...Joe. Well, ah...yeah, hi. Listen, we have heard some pretty strange things about this place." Her attention wavered to an odd looking doll cradled in one of his arms.

Gourry's eyes trace the same path. "Must be the doll maker, huh?" Gourry pointed out unnecessarily to her.

"How about a tour, then?" Joe offered. "Right this way..." He moved quickly, nearly disappearing into the shadowy room beyond. "Up the stairs now...we'll begin in the tower--" came his voice.

"Sure...a tour." Lina shrugged and led the gang to climb the tower stairs.

Gourry tensed. "I don't feel good about this."

"Keep your eyes open for a trap," Zel warned. He didn't like the stairs or heights especially and was uneasy.

Amelia reached for Zel's free hand to step up the first of the stairs. "Kinda dark..."

"Aaaaahh!" Lina screamed, her noise fading as she fell from sight.

"What the...gah!" Zel was next, then Amelia, attached at the hand. "Eeee!"

"Liiiina!" Gourry called, and then he too joined his friends on what turned out to be a long bumpy slide back down the other side of the tower.

They all wound up crowding on top of one another at the bottom, Xelloss being the froggie on top. "What kind of a place is this!" Lina demanded at the top of her lungs.

Xelloss rolled off to the side as quickly as possible. The others were too slow for Lina, having had the air knocked out of them. She kicked Gourry and Zel out of her way and stomped away in the direction of a light...and the smell of food.

Joe was standing in the light behind a table. "Tea anyone? Refreshments first, then the tour."

"That was one _hell_ of a way to get started. Ya coulda warned us that that was a slide, ya know." Lina charged at the man, but hesitated to strangle him when he pushed a cup of tea and plate of cookies her way. "Ah...okay. I guess I could use a snack..."

Zel refused to participate, but Gourry and Amelia launched themselves at the food as if they hadn't just had lunch little over an hour ago. Xelloss stood apart and watched the show.

"Who goes first?" Joe asked.

"First for what?" Zel wanted to know, but Gourry stepped forward.

Lina pushed him back, "Me, you idiot!"

Joe smiled, "Let rock-paper-scissors decide!" He convinced the two contestants to give it a go. Naturally, Gourry became entangled in his tentacles so that his fist wouldn't open and Lina slapped him with an open hand. "Paper wins!" Joe announced and Lina smiled.

Still munching her cookies, Lina asked, "So...you make dolls here, right? You gonna show us that?"

Joe smiled. "This way!" Off to one side was a well-lit workroom. "In here, stuffed animals are assembled."

A snake practically twenty feet long had been in the process of having wads of fluff rammed down its throat or body or tail, but all activity had been shut down during the tour; at least they saw no other workers laboring away at any time during their stay.

"Where would somebody put a toy like that? It's huge!" Amelia cried out, clearly enamored of the entire place. "Ooooh an octopus! I've never seen octopus toys like this! And look, a bunny like you, Mr. Zelgadiss, wearing tiger-striped underwear!"

"**_Just_** like you, Zelgadiss!" Xelloss started laughing.

Zel shot him a disparaging look.

"You may choose the next room," Joe waved at a pair of doors.

"Me, me, me!" Amelia squealed and dashed to one door.

Lina yanked open the other one.

Amelia found a brick wall. "Huh?"

Lina yelped, "Yes!" and the tour continued through her outlet.

They lost track of time after walking what felt like miles and looked at what seemed like millions of dolls in various stages of creation, from the earliest designs and prototypes, continuing through hundreds of stages of production. It was obvious that this man was a phenomenal craftsman. However...

"I've had enough of this," Lina said hiding a yawn. "I think Val et al might be missing us by now. Say, Joe? This has been great. Reaally interesting and all, but what we came here to find..."

"Ah, yes...something to take with you," Joe murmured. "Right this way."

Again, he led them down a poorly lit passage that opened up... back at the front entry. "This must have been the way he came in the first time," Amelia whispered to Zelgadiss. "Oops, sorry!" She apologized for striking him again with her sharp star points jutting out from the shoulders of her costume. "Stupid costume...Lina should have gotten it..."

Zel nodded understanding her sentiments. "This 'suit' was for Xelloss, wasn't it?" But before she could deny it, he moved on mumbling, "Should have known...you wouldn't have planned it this way. Only Lina puts me into these humiliating costumes."

"I like mine..." Gourry said dreamily as he drifted by.

"He is _way_ too happy in that costume," Xelloss noted for some future reference. Then louder he said, "Well, that's just..._wonderful_!"

"Why is it so _wonderful_?" Lina turned on him. She tried to grab him by his collar, but seeing as he had none handy, she just slapped at his arm. "What _else_ do you know about this place? You haven't been very surprised at anything going on here."

Xelloss nabbed her wrist mid swing and used the leverage to pull her closer. With a light kiss to her cheek, he said, "Let's just leave it at that," winked and strode off in the direction of the door.

Lina blushed under the gaze of her other friends, completely stunned by his forwardness.

"Here you go!" Joe called, breaking the tension. He stood poised at the door holding out a small paper bag for each of the five kids. "Enjoy! Compliments of the shop. Bye now!" He waved and stuffed a sack into their hands on their way out.

"What's this? Ooooh! Look, it's _me_!" Amelia cried out. She pulled out a stuffed doll and jumped around excitedly. It was a starfish with hand embroidered blue eyes and short, black, silky hair.

"Well...I'll be..." Gourry chuckled as he looked over his toy. "It's me, right?"

"Lemme see..." Lina pulled the jellyfish toy out of his hands. "Yeah, right down to the blue eyes and blond hair. Funny, huh?"

"Oh, Mr. Zelgadiss! It's sooo cute!" Amelia nearly exploded into a shower of tiny hearts.

"It's a rabbit."

"Yes, but with silver hair and look, an earring!"

"Ah..." Zel sighed unimpressed. "Do _you_ want it?"

Amelia nearly collapsed with joy, then promised to 'take the very best care' of it for him.

Lina looked askance at the others, clutching her pink pony doll protectively to her chest. "I'm keepin' mine. See? It's got a red tail and mane."

Everyone admired her pretty doll.

"What about yours, Mr. Xelloss?"

Xelloss peaked inside his bag, and then withdrew a skinny green frog with straight purple hair.

"Oh, how cute! Don't you _like_ it?"

"It's fine, Amelia. I'm just not a collector, I suppose. Would you like to add it to your collection?"

"Oh, yes, _thank you_!" she gushed.

So the kids gathered up their clothes and borrowed the dressing room back at the costume rental shop to get dressed. "It's too cold to expose myself to the elements again," Xelloss whined.

But the others understood and didn't argue or give him a hard time, except Zelgadiss, that is. "That place had nothing to do with why we came here. Nothing! Just another wild goose chase, complete mortification, and waste of my time. Next time..."

"There won't be a next time, so shut up, buster...Hey Val! Over here!" Lina shouted, cutting Zel off and pushing him aside. Actually, that had been worth all the time it took to see Zel reduced to bunny-cuddly again. Yeah, she was feeling a lot better about the guy. He was still just a geek under her sway and for her to command at will. Yes, Lina Inverse rules supreme over all, ah ha ha ha ha!

Zel sighed but then he noticed that oh so familiar look of self-importance sort of take over Lina's countenance. She was positively glowing. Well, if his own personal _total_ humiliation was what it took, then…he guessed that he had succeeded in winning back his friend. Yes, he was back in her good graces again. _Oh joy!_ _It would behoove him to hide his **own** smile…_

Val loped up to greet them, leaving Filia and Sylphiel at the corner. "Rodimus is waitin' fer ya at the van. We outta go now if ya want give the slopes a try today."

"All right! Let's go!" Lina shouted, then to Zel she grinned, "Ah, buck up there ole _Z-mon_! Time for more fun, _right_?"

Right! But then…maybe not…

"So, if we wanna go skiing, where do we go? You got stuff we can rent here?"

The resort staff exchanged glances before one stepped up to the desk to address the spunky little red-haired girl. "This isn't a ski resort. We feature the areas finest mineral hot springs. I'm afraid there isn't enough snow depth here for skiing."

"Xel-loss?" Lina turned on him. "Wasn't this where you were bringing... ah...coming to go skiing?"

He looked down at his feet, slightly embarrassed. "Guess I didn't do my homework very well..."

"I don't think he was countin' on havin' much ac-tiv-itee **_outside_** the room," Val chuckled.

A blush painted Lina's cheeks. She spun on a heel, hefted her bag, and marched off to find her room.

"Eeeeww!" Filia gave Xelloss and Val a nasty look and followed Lina's example.

"I really prefer to stay in, too," said Sylphiel. "I mean, skiing has great clothes, but its so much effort, ya know?"

Xelloss, Val, Gourry and Zel just stared at her, and then they all exploded into giggles and laughter.

"What's so funny about _that_?" she asked Amelia.

Amelia shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Nothing. They're just being dirty-minded little boys. Come on, Miss Sylphiel, let's go find our room."

The girls shared two rooms with an adjoining bath, each with their own bed. "Nice," Lina sighed as she collapsed on one bed.

"I approve," Filia said with a chuckle. She had drawn Lina's name for a roommate.

Sylphiel with Amelia clamored through the bathroom/passageway. "This is really great, isn't it? It must be costing Zel a lot of money."

"Oh, Miss Lina, what a pretty view you have!" Amelia cried out.

"Yeah..." Lina was interrupted by a rap at the door.

Amelia opened it to find Gourry. "I, um...was sent to getcha fer dinner, if yer hungry..."

"A little early for dinner," Filia replied.

"Speak for yerself!" That was Lina, of course. "Catch up when you're ready."

"Oh, we'd better go now or the kitchen might run out of food," Filia smiled. Her expression softened as Val approached.

"Filia's in a good mood," Amelia observed to Sylphiel.

"She and Val are both pretty happy...like, what so you think _that_ means?" Sylphiel snickered. "You should have seen them at the tea house."

"Val went to a tea house with you?" Amelia asked.

Sylphiel nodded.

"While we toured that creepy, but very interesting doll house?"

Sylphiel nodded again.

"Wow…"

"Yeah, Val went into gift stores and was so nice you wouldn't have believed he was for real," Sylphiel sighed all misty-eyed.

"How romantic…" Amelia sighed in concert.

Indeed, Filia and Val had obviously patched things up. No googly-eyes, but Val was attentive and Filia was kinder to everyone. And they were light spirited, breezy and cheerful.

"Ooooooooooo! What's _that_ cute thing? Oh! You have _another_? Oh, Amelia!" Sylphiel went crazy over the stuffed dolls.

"What? Let me in on … OH! Gods, those are just soooo cute, even that one with the purple hair that looks disturbingly like someone we all know… Oh, I get it! This one's you…and Zel…and _him_, of course!" Filia went mad over them too.

"Look at these!" Lina had rifled though Gourry's bag and retrieved his jellyfish doll image of himself. She had thought that he would have gallantly offered it to her, like Zel had to Amelia. Lina had almost felt a tinge of jealousy when Xelloss had handed his over to Amelia-- without even consulting her! Maybe she would have liked a skinny-legged frog! But neither Gourry nor Xelloss had thought that she would have wanted to collect stupid stuffed animals. So, Lina had actually had to ask Gourry for his.

"That's pretty cute. I might start collecting these, starting with yours…"

"Uh, uh," Gourry had answered shaking his head. He whipped the doll out of her reach. "This one's mine. You gotcher own."

Well, she couldn't dispute that! Somehow, she knew though, she would get her hands on that doll. And now she had, although…she'd stolen it. Well, not exactly. She would put it back…in a moment…after she showed it off.

She presented both her pony and his jellyfish doll to the admiring girls. "I guess that creepy tour was good for something."

Sylphiel moaned, "I wish I had gone now."

"Yeah, I'd like a whole set of them. Can you just see Val as a big red heart…"

"Or a dragon!" Sylphiel suggested creatively. "You like dragons."

"Mr. Xelloss had it all planned, he told me. There's a deal between the costume shop and the doll factory. They have bunches of these already made to match the costumes, then while you tour, the shop adds the hair and eyes and all to customized them. It takes no time at all!"

"Amelia," Lina's face became enlightened. "Think of it! If we like these, don't you think other kids would? Fans? We could order tons of these to look like us in different 'costumes' and sell them at a profit at gigs!"

"Oh, Miss Lina! What a great idea! Let's talk to Xelloss about that and get the name of the right people to contact."

"Sure, after dinner, though," Lina smiled and made for the door. "Ehhhh…just a min…" She did a quick course correction, and then stuffed Gourry's doll back into his bag. He had been generous about the CD's and all. Best let him give it to her in his own way and own time, because…she knew he would…in the end.

Lina and Gourry were already shoveling in the food furiously by the time the others were all seated. Zelgadiss had pre-ordered the meal to save time. Xelloss was reading a brochure.

"What's that about?" Lina asked him.

"Our resort package. I've been reviewing our activities." At Lina's raised eyebrow, he elaborated on the theme. "Tonight, hot mineral soaks, steam room -optional- and massage before bedtime aperitifs, which, since we are underage is...hot cocoa with scones."

"I'm going to gain five pounds this weekend!" Sylphiel moaned.

Ignoring that remark, Lina said, "Okay. Tell me about tomorrow. What's on the agenda?"

"Ah..." he shook his finger at her "...it's a secret!"

He held her gaze a moment, then she shrugged. "As long as they don't try and starve us..."

But the food was ample, if not delicious, so no one starved or even went away hungry. After a suitable 'rest' period, two young male stewards escorted the Slayers to the changing rooms. There were big fluffy towels to wrap up in and soft slippers to cushion their feet from the icy tiles, then a brisk walk out of doors to the steaming mineral baths. There were several to choose from spotted around at varying levels and utilizing rocky outcroppings for privacy screens.

"So which ones?" Gourry asked the other guys as he saw the girls coming their way.

"Up over that way," Zel pointed to a far-off plume of steam. "Where we won't run into anyone."

Since they were completely nude beneath the towels, there wasn't any question of the girls joining them. "Might as well," Val agreed. "Ain't gonna be no big social event tonight."

Lina would see the tail end of Gourry's blonde mane swaying into the distance. "Let's head over this way," she pointed in the opposite direction. "It'll be quieter."

"Absolutely!" Filia agreed. "Put some space between us and their crude jokes."

And so, the Slayers parted ways and spent an evening in total relaxation. After full body massages they tucked into a late night snack, then sank into their beds and slept like the dead. Zolf made it in after midnight, staying up long into the night in deep discussion with Rodimus.

They all slept in the next morning. There was no rush for anything. It was totally relaxing and restorative for the kids. After meeting for breakfast, new 'activity directors' led them through checklists of possibilities: mud baths, salt soaks, scrubs and peels, manicures and pedicures, hair conditionings and wraps. These treatments were followed by lunch and free-time, then physical exercise, had any of them wanted to do any thing. Mostly, they just slept or lay around talking and reading, knowing that it would be a late night with celebrating to look forward to—Xelloss' birthday and New years!

Lina bumped into Zel, she with a snack from the bar and he with a copy of the Seyruun Guard. "Hey, Zel!"

"Lina!" Zel smiled and changed direction to intercept her path. He was genuinely pleased to see her. He had just had a mud bath followed by a long warm soak and then nearly fell asleep after a heated stone massage. It had been the closest to nirvana that his karma had ever taken him.

"How ya been? You look, well, different."

"Relaxed and worry-free," he smiled.

"Yeah, that _is_ different!" she cackled.

He stood, arms folded and waited her out. She looked pretty at ease herself. "Are you done?"

"Ah…ha… Yeah. You having a good time? I was wondering how this stuff might affect you skin. Like, irritate it or something."

"No problems, in fact I found the mud to be especially nice. Take a look, my arm seems…smoother or something."

Lina nearly fainted. Zel showing off a part of his anatomy, and bare, naked flesh at that! Would wonders never cease? "Not bad, Zel. Feels smooth, all right. And the redness is all gone. Hey, wouldn't that be somethin' if all ya had to do was soak in mud for an hour to clear up your marks?"

Zel was lost in thought, and not about the marks on his skin, but about the feeling of Lina's cool little fingers _touching _his skin. Goosebumps rose along his arm. "Oh, ah…the redness always comes back after a while, but …"

"Hey, looks at those," she pointed out the bumps. "You ever get those before? I always thought your skin was mostly non-reactive."

"It was…this is new."

"Well, that's something to tell the doctor, right?" She clapped him on the back. "Oh, I got a great idea. Sylph and Fil got a look-see at those stuffed dolls from the tour and went bonkers. I figured the fans would, too, and we could sell a shitload of them, ya know…get all different kinds made up to look like us and folks could start collections. We could make a mint!"

Zel nodded, "Possibly. You think people really collect those kinds of things, I mean, besides just little kids?"

Lina's eyes narrowed. "Lots of girls do. Adults, too. Are you forgetting Amelia has numerous collections? Or are you putting her in that 'little girl' category?"

"So, Xelloss knows the man to contact," he went on, skipping over Lina's remark.

"So I've been told…" Lina watched his face a moment waiting for her next question to trigger some reaction from him. "You gonna tell me what's up between you and Amelia now?"

His eyes darted up and got trapped by Lina's. "Nothing's up."

"I'm waiting…"

He sighed and knew he was whipped again. "Sit down."

He gestured toward a secluded pair of chairs and table situated in an alcove. There were many of these scattered throughout the spa for casual conversations, like this one.

"I'm sitting."

"All right. I um…don't know. No, really! I don't know how I feel about her or if I even want to. I like her, Lina, but I don't know if that's enough."

"Enough to what? No, I really want to know, Zel. I kinda understand what you're saying."

"Enough to call her a girlfriend, I guess. It's just that I don't have that burning need like Xelloss seems to have to _have_ one. Happiness that it brings is pretty fleeting and the complications are more than I care to punish myself with. Plus, it's like she and I are on another wavelength sometimes. I can't imagine that we share many common interests. The time we spend together is nice, but—"

"But she wants more?" Lina supplied.

"More of certain things…"

"She wants that emotional commitment from Mr. Detached?"

"That too. She's surprisingly more demonstrative than you might think and…"

"It's more than you want, further than you want to go?" Lina knew that that was true for her and since Zel's other complaints aligned with hers she thought that this one might as well.

Zel blushed. "Not exactly," he muttered.

Lina's breath caught. Oh.

"I can't help it, Lina. I managed to turn out to be just a _guy_ in the end. An ordinary guy underneath all these scars. Plus, I live with Val and Xelloss who talk incessantly about…girls and all. It's hard to get away from. And then she wants to hug me and all and…" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "And I've come to realize that it's not that she's too young, it's that I'm too old for her. And her father reminds me of that fact regularly. Not to mention how something like that can mess up the band, as you can vouch for, since we just went through that recently with you and …"

"Yeah, yeah…those two. Gods, Zel…sometimes I wish I could stop time and not grow up. I'd like to avoid all this stuff a little longer. Xelloss, wow he's just too…aggressive. And Gourry…he wants that emotional thing big time. That scares me even more than the physical stuff, I think." Again their eyes met in quiet contemplation of one another.

"What a messed up pair we make," Zel said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, I'm glad you understand, though. I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me."

"With you? Never, Lina. You are just an original and make your own rules."

That drew out her good spirits again. "That's right! And when the gods made me they said 'enough' and threw away the mold."

"Which slammed into mine and left a deep impression," Zel smiled.

Speaking of talking…

Amelia snagged Xelloss on one of his many sojourns through the resort. "Mr. Xelloss!"

"Yes, Miss Amelia?"

"Are you having a good time? I sure am!"

"I am happy to hear that. It is peaceful here. Was there something on your mind?"

"Well, actually there was. You know…I like Mr. Zelgadiss and all but…"

"But you've come to tell me you have secretly been in love with me for ages?" he smiled.

She tripped over a bump in the carpet, but he caught her by the arm effortlessly. "Oh, no…I mean…I like you lots, you know that, but I'm not…"

"It's okay," he chuckled. "I was just joking, right?"

"Oh, of course you were. I am so stupid sometimes."

"No you're not. You just are very sensitive towards the feelings of others and often put them before your own. Like with Zelgadiss. That actually works in your favor with a guy like him."

"It does?"

"Mm-hmm. If you come on too strong he'll balk. He's also a bit backward and a bit of a prude. Must be that White Shrine blood running through his veins."

"He's just good and very private."

"That too. Amelia…" Xelloss stopped walking and looked deeply into her eyes, examining her resoluteness perhaps.

"I was wondering…"

"Yes, Amelia?"

"I was wondering if you might…you know, give him a few pointers. You have had a few girlfriends and know more about how to talk to…get close to…um…be …"

"Romantic? Ah… He really hates himself, the way he looks and all, to the point that it blinds him to the possibilities beyond appearance. It gets in the way of him feeling anything. Sometimes, anyway. Also, your father made it very clear to him on more than one occasion that he will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law any adult who seduces his darling, underage daughter. Didn't you know?"

She shook her head violently. "Daddy wouldn't… Anyway, Zelgadiss wouldn't do anything like _that _but…I guess that explains why he avoids contact. The skin thing and…I'll have to have a talk with Daddy. I'm not a little girl anymore!'

"In his eyes and under the law, you are…and Zelgadiss is an adult. Just remember that, 'kay?" Xelloss smiled and patted her on the head. "He does like you, you know. But until he gets over himself, he's stuck in 'friends' mode."

"Thanks, Mr. Xelloss. I think I get him now. And I know what I have to do."

"Ah…Amelia, just what might that be?" Xelloss suddenly realized that perhaps he had said too much, given away one of Zelgadiss' secrets, or something.

"Get him to go to the doctor and get his cure, of course!"

"Oh, my…well…good luck," Xelloss smiled weakly. _Pointers, oh yeah, Zelgadiss would listen to him on **that** hot topic! Amelia, you just don't know much about the male mentality…_

"Thanks!" Amelia threw her arms around him in a friendly hug. "You are such a special friend, Mr. Xelloss!"

Standing to the side on a balcony overlooking the hall where Xelloss and Amelia had met, was Zelgadiss. He was going to find Xelloss to recommend he get changed or whatever for dinner. He hadn't expected to find Amelia with him. How easily Xelloss conversed with her, with everyone! Why was it that he had such a difficult time making small talk and being just…well, friendly? Sure, he'd been getting better lately but… He wondered what they were talking about. He knew that if he removed his earplugs their voices would come in clearly, even from this distance, but that wouldn't be right. He noticed that they had stopped walking. Xelloss looked serious. Something was not right. He popped out one earplug the moment Amelia jumped into his best friend's arms and in time to overhear her declare joyfully, "You are such a special friend, Mr. Xelloss!"

Oh…he felt like Lina had just knocked the air out of him. No, that wasn't how it appeared, he knew that. Xelloss was not yearning for Amelia and he knew she had her heart under better control than that. He cursed himself for having been so foolish as to eavesdrop on his friends like that…catching a warm moment out of context. He should be thrilled that his friends liked one another's company and that they might seek one another out to talk or to console one another—something he wasn't prone to doing or desired to be better at. He was lucky to even have friends… Amelia and Xelloss parted ways, and he found Xelloss was on the path to the stairs, coming back to his room, just as he said he would.

"Hey, Zelgadiss!" Xelloss smiled. "I think I want a shower first, do I still have time?"

"Of course, Xelloss. It's your evening tonight. Filia stopped by to ask if you wanted a hair trim. I told her I'd go look for you."

"Ah, yes…well I don't think I need one, but I'll go tell her myself. Thanks!" And Xelloss rushed by him, skipping steps, then turned down the hallway toward the girl's rooms.

"You are welcome…" Zel said quietly with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Knock, knock! It's Xelloss, is Miss Filia available?"

Filia opened the door to her room immediately and looked up and down the hall. Satisfied that he was alone, he guessed, she squeezed past him and tilted her head to the left. "This way. You got a minute?"

"Yes, but I don't think I need that hair cut…"

She checked him out with a sweeping glance. "Of course not. But…just come here anyway." She led him away from the rooms to a pair of doors at the far end of the hall. "In here…"

"Isn't this the ladies dressing room?"

"So, pretend you're female. I need to talk privately and everyone on the floor, but our band has left. I checked."

"O-kay…"

Once inside and settled at opposite ends of a wooden bench, she approached him uneasily. "Hey, Xelly, I have a, um…favor to ask you."

"In _here_?" His heart skipped a beat, and then started to pound to make up for it.

Her eyes narrowed and eyebrows drew together. "I'm going to ignore that for now. This is about Val."

"Val?"

"Yes, _Val_. You see I think he likes me…"

"You think?" Xelloss chuckled lightly, relieved that Val was going to be the subject of their conversation and nothing like what his vivid imagination was conjuring up.

"I know, but he has a hard time saying the right things. And that's the problem."

"Val? He seems able to open up when I've talked to him."

"I don't mean _that_!" She practically snarled at him.

_Okay…_Xelloss figured that it had to be a serious problem then, so he waited her out.

She tapped her foot and stared off to the side. "Okay, it's like this…"

He waited out another pregnant pause.

"Val…"

Tap, tap….

Should he bail her out here or just bail and run…?

Tap, tap…

Oh, why play it safe?

"Filia, Val's not the romantic flowers and candy kinda guy, is that the problem?"

"YES!" she gasped, so relieved that he had guessed right.

"And… Let me take a wild stab here…you would like me to talk to him, is that right?"

"Yes, but," she took a deep shuddering breath. "He needs coaching and obviously I don't want him to know I think so or that I asked you to do it."

Xelloss agreed with that all right. "Oh yes, that…would be a bad idea…but, why me?"

She gave him that deadly 'you are soooooo clueless' look.

"I mean, last summer you said I was the last person you'd think of when it came to love affairs…"

"That was probably ones involving me. Which reminds me, it's time to stifle the rumor mill when we get back to school, if it's still is running. In case you care, you and me aren't a couple and…Val and me…kinda are. Remember? That show I put on in front of the football team?"

"School? I'm not going back. I don't care; tell everyone what you will, if that makes you happy and Val, too." Xelloss had that faraway look in his eyes again.

"Yeah…So, you'll talk to Val about, you know…"

"How to _woo _you? Well, Filly, how do you like it? Flowers? I do dinner and dancing, but that's not going to work for him. Any suggestions?"

"How about how to say nice things for starters and then things to avoid like…oh I don't know exactly. Like, 'come over to my place and make out', that sorta stuff."

"You _don't _want him to make that offer, right? Just making sure I have it all straight here. He said _that _to you?"

"Not those precise words…He needs more refining."

"You think I'm more refined?" he asked in wonder.

"As far as that's concerned, yes. You can be a gentleman when you want to and your dates have all sounded more romantic in nature than his night-on-the-towns. Get my point? You'll do it then?"

"I can't promise much. It all depends on his…at-ti-tude, dudette. I'll give it a go anyway. Hey, I gotta go take a shower, so if there's nothing else…"

"You're excused…"

But as he stood to leave, she grabbed his hand. "Um, I've been meaning to say something…I'm really sorry about your break-up, Xelly. I think you're handling it all really good and I'm sure you'll find some…"

He pressed a finger to her lips and begged, "_Please_, don't say it. Ah, thanks for the sympathy, though. And one more thing… Something for you to think about…it goes hand-in-hand with the romance part; the pain, I mean."

She released his hand. "Oh, Xelly, it doesn't have to."

"Oh really?" he said with derision. "I wouldn't know about that."

"It won't always…"

"Wonderful." He shook his head doubtfully and stomped away.

"Hey, I know I just look good on her res-u-may sometimes, but ya know, I'm not lookin' at her for any action. Well, I ain't! Don't laugh, Xelloss," Val growled.

"You aren't going to get any ak-_shun_ no matter _which_ way you look at Filia!" Xelloss giggled. "Not from a priestess of Cephied!"

"Those White Shriners are more willing to ne-go-she-ate," Val returned wolfishly.

"Some are," Xelloss agreed. "I can't vouch for them all…but…" He nodded significantly over at Zel. "…my guess is…"

"Ah, that little thing of his won't put out." Val approached Zelgadiss. "Zel my man, you gotta start lookin' elsewhere. Yer at that big U now, there's gotta be chicks all over lookin' ta score."

"Leave me alone," Zel muttered and stepped up his pace, leaving the others behind.

"Val, look, Amelia adores him and he knows it and he doesn't know what to do about it. He's very moralistic and too self-conscious to be aggressive. She's too young, from a legalistic point of view as well. He's not about to go on a hunt around campus and risk getting snubbed or…hurt worse. And the more you mess with him about it the more screwed up he's going to be, so lighten up," Xelloss recommended.

"Okay, old man…" Val grinned and jingle-jangled his way past Xelloss and Gourry to knock on the one of the girls' doors. "Time for the par-tay!"

…

"And I want to thank my little brother for organizing all this for me tonight. He ah…made me a promise the other day, and I don't think he'd mind very much my telling you what it was, would you? Good. Ah…the promise was to make sure I didn't spend another birthday in the hospital and…here I am…and you all are here… and this certainly is a lot nicer than a hospital, so… thanks, Zelgadiss. You…you…" tears threatened to escape Xelloss' eyes. "You are so…you all have been so…" He tried to brush them aside and finish, but he couldn't.

Lina pulled him back down into his seat as she rose out of hers. "Looks like Xelloss, the man of the hour, has sprung a leak. So while he gets it together, let's all just sing Happy Birthday to the nutcase, to _our_ nutcase, 'kay?"

_Happy Birthday to youuuuuu… _

_Happy Birthday to youuuuuu… _

_Happy Birthday dear Xel-leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…_

_Happy Birthday to youuuuuu!_

"Happy New Year Everybody!" she shouted over the riotous yelling of the others.

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 34.


	35. Rezo's Lab

**-Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 35 **

**Rezo's Lab**

_"I smell the stink of too much self esteem"– Charlie Chaplin, on a pompous pontificator _

* * *

Mrs. Shearer greeted the boys at the front door. "Oh, good. I'm so glad you both came for the puppy. Come in, come in."

"Puppy?" Xelloss asked. "He's one old dog."

Zel was busy greeting Beast, so Xelloss did all the talking. "Anyway, of course we both came. You did call and request our combined presence. Miss us?"

"Well, yes I have. My boys haven't been over for a visit in a long time. And you've brought two little friends? Ah, yes, I remember you. Lina and Amelia." Mrs. Shearer looked them over frowning. To Xelloss she asked, "These two aren't your girlfriends now, are they?"

"Not on your life!" Lina snapped back. "We're all buddies here."

The housekeeper appeared relieved and her good humor returned. Leading the kids into the kitchen for tea and cookies. "That's good." She passed a cup to each of the girls and offered them the plate of cookies. "They're to share now, everyone." She raised an eyebrow at Lina, and then turned her attention to Zel. "Zelgadiss, dear, I have a couple of sweet girls that I want you and your brother here to meet. Na-na-nah! Don't give me any flack! I have had years of experience with my own children. I didn't say you had to take them out, although I think that would be a very good idea. Just meet! Just meet! Take your tea, dear." She handed Zelgadiss his cup. "Your dear father brought them home..."

"M-my father!" Zel slopped his tea and choked. "He brought them home!"

"Yes. They're new to his department. He wanted you to talk with them. Now, you just stay put and enjoy your tea, I'll go see what's keeping them."

When Mrs. Shearer left the room, Zel exploded. "Why do they think they need to do this? We're not a couple of idiots unable to make friends on our own and dates are not at all what I am looking for and you are just recovering from your last encounter of the female kind and have no need for all this. I'm going to go tell them just what I think of their matchmaking tactics!"

"Er, yer kinda worked up there, Zel. What's up? Just say 'hi' and 'gotta go' and we go. No prob!" Lina waved him to back off. "Think I could have that last cookie?"

"Go ahead," Amelia answered sulkily. She should be glad Zel was not interested in the girls, but he hadn't said it was because maybe his heart was already set on dating her. In fact, he'd just declared that he didn't want to date at all! At least, that's how it had sounded to her. Maybe he meant it differently. She tried to spin it in her favor a little harder...

Rezo appeared arm and arm with two nearly identical-looking young ladies. "I was hoping to introduce you last week but you've been busy."

"You could say that," Zel began, arms crossed, attitude set to 'negative'. "I'd like to speak to you privately a moment, father."

"In a minute," Rezo put him off. "These are my newest students...exchange students from Japan. Now my Japanese is a little rusty, but since you've been all studying it..."

"Three months. We've been in the class three months..." Zel pointed out.

"Long enough to learn to say 'hello'." Rezo was relentless. "And I would bet that my 'good' son has already memorized the text book..."

"Xelloss hasn't even been to class for the past six weeks," Zel continued in his contrary vein.

Rezo was unmoved. "This is-- now be sure I get this right ladies-- Mimi and this is Nene."

Both girls were dressed in matching gold-trimmed, red Chinese-style jackets with loose back pants. Their big, brown eyes were framed by long blue-black hair worn in Sylphiel's style. They smiled and echoed 'hellos' and bobbed slightly.

"Konichiwa!" Amelia said proudly in return.

That set off a retaliatory stream of Japanese from one of them, Mimi possibly. To everyone's surprise, Lina spoke up with a short phrase or two introducing herself, Amelia, Zel, and Xelloss. Nene responded by speaking a little slower.

"I get a few words, but the rest...We just don't have the verb tenses or vocabulary," Amelia explained.

Xelloss had moved in closer. He had noticed the pants they wore and recognized them as karate exercise wear. "Karate?" he asked.

Mimi nodded and demonstrated a punch, Nene a kick. Xelloss smiled and said a few words. The girls must have understood since they followed him from the kitchen into the roomier front room, and posed. Lina, Amelia, and, grudgingly, Zel, followed. Xelloss removed his jacket and un-tucked his shirt along the way, and then closed his eyes a moment. In a flash he attacked the pair, not connecting, but coming very close. They blocked his shots quite well, but were unable to lay a finger on him. They stopped as suddenly as they had started, bowing and laughing and chattering in Japanese. Xelloss seemed to understand but his pronunciation stunk and set them to laughing more as they tried to correct him. He had memorized the text book, but aside from listening to a couple subtitled anime, he hadn't nailed the verbal part of the language. Like his quick mastery of the German and French languages before, it was just another, although one of the better, manifestations of his ADD condition.

Zelgadiss was not interested in participating in whatever farce Rezo had set up for them. He stood apart, arms crossed, staring loftily out the front window. Amelia had another idea. "Zelgadiss, do you remember that song we had just learned in Japanese class? Some kind of spring pageant song."

Before he could think better of it, he answered, "Yes. Why?" Then he regretted it.

Amelia's face lit up. "Miss Lina! Zelgadiss knows it! He can direct us singing it!"

Now Lina wasn't against a little showing off from time to time, and right now she was on a roll with the CD under her belt. "Sure, let's give it a try. Mimi and...Nene can help us with pronunciation. Zel, don't forget the arm movements..."

"They might be critical!" Amelia added breathlessly.

Zel was caught. There he was stuck cooperating in another ridiculous activity. Damn. And he used to be so good at getting out of these kinds of situations, too. He was in a quandary. Obey Lina and Amelia and possibly play into his father's hands, or exert his independence and get everyone pissed at him...

"Zel! Earth to Zel! How does that thing start?" Lina demanded.

Xelloss had stepped out of the room. It was just Zel and four pretty girls all watching him expectantly. Oh, joy... He collapsed in a chair and began, "Ah...

_Koi ni koi suru_

_Onna no ko ni wa_

_Mabushi sugiru no MAI DAARIN_… Zel blushed at the terrible 'engrish.'

Xelloss, watching from the doorway, was mesmerized. Never in all the time he'd known Zelgadiss had he found him so entertaining. It was all he could do not to burst out laughing. Especially the words of endearment 'My Dar-har-ling!'!— choice. Mimi and Nene were certainly bewitched, or was that grossed out? They couldn't tear their eyes away from the beguiling scene: two girls singing in harmony while posing cutely and waving around their arms, all the while being directed by one exotic-looking, unusual guy with a very nice voice. Amusing, very amusing. Xelloss wished he had that video camera...

It must have impressed Rezo as well. _What had his son become? Even Xelloss had had the good sense to avoid such an embarrassing show of...unmanliness_--and he couldn't even actually see the activity! _Oh, blessed gods above...whatever was he going to do about that boy!_ "Er...ah...that's enough now, ah...Zelgadiss. I am opening the lab below later and I would like you to be present. I've invited another professor, one from the molecular biology department, and a couple of his grad students...and a security man."

Zel was skeptical. "Is that wise? Why the group thing? It should be more private. What's the point?"

"The point...is that Doctor Halciform is a colleague and he has an interest in reviving some of my research on cell cloning..."

"Cloning?" Zel gasped. "You said you were working on a cure for blindness!"

"Which requires cell regeneration or replacement where particular types are missing or damaged. Cloning creates exact duplicates."

"Ah, _Dad_?" Xelloss broke in. He noted first that Lina and Amelia were deep in discussion with the two Japanese exchange students and ignoring them. "You said 'Halciform'? Have you known the man long?"

"Yes, ages. He was a friend of you father's as well. University man in high standing. Now, don't you go thinking he's in on some syndicate deal..." Rezo warned him.

"I am doing _just_ that," Xelloss said in all seriousness. "His name came up recently, after a little _coercion_ on my part."

Rezo was offended. "Not _this_ man. His research on cell regeneration has been cutting edge. He had no time for syndicate business. Besides, Zelas would have known him. It's a common enough name. You must be mistaken."

Xelloss shook his head. "One guard won't be sufficient, and I'll come too. I have to be certain."

Rezo bristled, but backed down. "Suit yourself, but I will ask you to leave the moment you start any trouble, understand?" His 'boys' could unleash so much chaos, he had learned from the past.

Xelloss replied, "I'll be on my best behavior. We'll go say goodbye now and come back...for dinner?"

"After. Your dinner is already waiting for you at your home. Make it seven o'clock." Rezo turned and left the front of the house, disappearing into his own room.

Xelloss could understand how Zelgadiss turned out to be such a cold, blunt young man; he just wondered where he got his aptitude for art and music. Oh, yes. Zelgadiss' mother, of course, had played violin. And she had shared that unfortunate heritage of being his, Xelloss', sister...so...weird...and so deadly… If it were true that she had been killed, as her mother before her, because the two women had rejected joining the syndicate, or living up to their birthrights, and if possibly the same could be said for Zelgadiss' own 'accident', then what future did he and the rest of the Slayers have unless they fought the syndicate to the last man and woman…and won?

"Xelloss, you coming?" Lina called out. "Geesh, quit spacin'!"

Once the four kids had parted with the Rezo household, Lina knew something was up. "Okay, Xelloss come clean with us."

He opened then shut his mouth as he decided what he should say. "We need the others."

"Val and Filia are already back at the settlement by now," Zel pointed out.

"Ah..." Xelloss shook his head. "Then Gourry and Sylphiel will have to do. Lina, Amelia...wear your insignia and keep them in full view. I want to intimidate these people. Gourry looks big enough and strong enough to break most anyone's neck, Sylphiel...I'll have to remind her to wear her high priestess emblem– that thing on the wide ribbon..."

"What about Zel? He gave Amelia his mother's pendant," Lina said as she and Amelia squeezed into Zel's sports car's tiny back seat.

Xelloss turned around from his post in the front seat and grinned, "That's...a secret!"

Indeed, there was no reason to discuss that gun anytime soon. Even Zelgadiss had remained mum on the topic, preferring to let Xelloss tell him what he needed to know when the time was right.

Gourry borrowed his mother's minivan to pick up Sylphiel, Amelia, Lina, Zel, and Xelloss after dinner. The Mayor had been loath to allow Amelia out again. She had only just gotten in from the spa trip, school was starting up the next day, and he wanted a quiet evening at home, just the two of them. But...Rezo wanted the kids to meet some university people, so he was told. Good connections possibly. In the end, after a loud dispute, he gave in and stood at the back door to watch as his darling daughter ran off again. When did she grow up so fast?

Mrs. Shearer ushered them in. "He's waiting downstairs. Hurry along now."

Along the hall to the stairs, then down to a small storeroom. At the far side of the room, stood its sole occupant: some big guy in a silly-looking chicken suit.

"Who's that?" Gourry asked.

Sylphiel giggled. "That's not your father, is it Zel?"

Before he could answer, the chicken spoke. "I'm the security guard on duty here. Call me Tiiba."

"So, Tiiiiiba, er...bird brain," Lina approached him without fear. "What's with the chicken costume?"

"Don't call me 'Chicken!' I had to rush over from my other job. I'm PULLET, the mascot for Palace Fried Chicken. Hey, give me a break here! Now, look again. Take your time. What do I look like?"

"A...giant chicken."

"A chicken, from every possible angle."

"The chickenest-looking chicken I've ever seen."

"Awwwww, no...come on! You, what do I _really _look like?" he asked Sylphiel, who had remained quiet before.

"A very pretty...chicken?" She backed off a ways from this very disturbed young man.

Zel shook his head. "Tiiba is one of the chemistry department graduate students, like Vurumagen and Eris. That costume...is really stupid looking by the way, and believe me, I ought to know."

"Yeah, Zel likes to wear rabbit suits!" Gourry shared without a thought.

"I don't _either_!"

Lina pushed Zel aside, "As a rabbit, you're only a step up from the poultry-guy here." Then she demanded Tiiba's attention and a few answers. "What are you really doing here? And...what do you know about Rezo's research?"

"Hey, back down little lady! I'm here to guard the door against unwanted intruders, by the prof's leave. He just told me to show up tonight and that later I could help him with his research. That's my whole story."

"Come on," Lina called to her group. "Let's go see what the old man's up to."

"Sorry, Zelgadiss only. That's my orders." Tiiba nodded his head, sending his ridiculous red-foam comb and wattle to jiggling.

"If you don't let us all through that door, I'll turn _you_ into _fried _chicken, piece by piece!" Lina yelled.

"She'll do it, too. She's from the country," Gourry assured him. "First, she's gotta wring yer neck..."

And she was doing a respectable job of that, hanging off the guy's back with her strong little fingers wrapped around his thick, feather-covered neck.

Zelgadiss chuckled to Amelia, "Lina will be really embarrassed if she can't get past this guy."

"You worry about yourself!" Lina shouted down at Zel. "I can take care of this idiot if I have to pluck out every feather..."

"Ach...ack...ah...all right...! Don't hurt the suit! It's only a loaner! I'll let you in...just...get off!"

"I think he's calling 'fowl', Miss Lina." Amelia smiled back at Zel.

Hopping down, Lina was satisfied. "That's more like it, buster. Now, shut yer beak and lead on."

Sylphiel was blocking the way while she was concentrating on the pretty design crafted onto a wall ornament. "Oooooh, look! Don't you think it's cute?" Sylphiel moved aside so Lina could examine the plaque on the wall.

Lina was not amused. "This says that a man nearly lost his only son at this spot. This is where Zel...where he got hurt."

"Rezo was working on something to cure his blindness, wasn't he?" Amelia asked, saving Sylphiel.

Lina and Zelgadiss traded glances- hers was reassuring, he appeared embattled. If he was afraid to go in, Lina wouldn't be far. To reinforce her intentions, Lina clasped his hand and squeezed gently. Her tenderness stunned him momentarily.

"Ahem...this way," he muttered, blushed, and stepped past he guard into the cause of his nightmares.

If they were expecting a gloomy room with bubbling flasks, fog, and uneven lighting, then they were all disappointed. Rezo's laboratory was an antiseptically clean, sparsely decorated place with modern appointments and equipment set out on mirror-like, anti-reactive surfaces and freshly scrubbed stone floors.

Rezo greeted them with his usual warmth. "I wasn't expecting the whole crowd."

"You tried to keep everyone out, so you must have expected them to come with me," Zel countered with his customary politeness.

It was, all in all, a fine start to the evening.

"I see Xelloss had the good sense not to come," Rezo said.

"Then you SEE wrong because..." Zel gestured to the empty space at his side. "Huh? Where did _he_ get off to?"

Gourry 'fessed up, "He was still talkin' to Mrs. ah... the woman up there when we left."

Great. Zel was about to say something cutting about guys carrying big sticks, but was interrupted by the sound of a man clearing his throat.

"And so...she's marrying..._him_, and I am...once again...(sniff)…alone," Xelloss explained to Mrs. Shearer over a bowl of her homemade lemon sherbet.

"Ah, well, you poor thing. But the best thing for you is just to jump back into the ring and have another go at it. You might start with one of those nice foreign girls you met today. They are very lonely, I imagine."

He smiled and was about to decline, when a very large chicken thundered up the stairs and pounded along the hall in what he guessed was the direction of the exit. "Ah, if you will excuse me a moment? I need a word with the Pullet-zer Prize man before he leaves the house!" He took up his ruby-orbed staff from its hiding place beneath the kitchen table.

Mrs. Shearer was complaining about the rude man running in her house, but Xelloss had disappeared.

"Is that you, Zelgadiss? I haven't seen you since you were working on the chemistry department computers...what that last...no...two summers ago?"

"Ah, yes."

"Professor Halcifom, my son has taken it upon himself to bring some friends tonight."

Zel remembered the man now, mostly by reputation– tall and lean with a too-handsome, ageless face framed by a mop of shoulder-length brown hair. He was known as the 'Leech' or the 'Starfish' in the graduate student underground. He had come by these names by his history of attracting countless graduate students with promises of research grant money, and then working them to death in his labs, sucking the energy out of them. He went through dozens a term.

The effete man smiled languidly. An anemic-looking hand brushed an invisible dust particle from his winter-white suit jacket.

"That might be one of those syndicate-type designs on his shirt collar," Gourry said in a voice so low that he knew only Zel could make out his words.

Halciform narrowed his eyes in their direction and coughed behind his hand, causing a wisp of hair to sweep across the Mandarin-style collar of his purple silk shirt, masking the embroidery.

Zel's surreptitious glance vaulted past the man's shirt to his steely eyes and back to Rezo. "This is Gourry Gabriev. His father's construction company led the cleanup of this place recently."

With a simple nod, Halciform acknowledged his presence. Zel continued with the introductions. "Sylphiel Nels Lahda. Her father is the High--"

"--Priest of the downtown White Shrine, yes, I recognize...the name," Halciform said. He dipped his head her way. If he noticed the raiment of her office, he wasn't impressed.

"Amelia Seyruun, daughter to our mayor..."

"It's a real honor to meet you, Dr. Halcifom!" Amelia bobbed up to the man, making certain he could see the pendant clearly, and extended her hand.

She was rewarded with a cool, fleeting handshake. "Indeed."

"Lina Inverse..." Zel continued.

"We're all in a band, maybe you've heard of us? The Slayers? I'm the leader." As with Amelia, Lina made a point of letting him catch a good look at Zelas' ring which hung from the chain around her neck. She had added the amplifier jewelry for good measure. As over-accessorized as she was, he paid her no undo notice.

"I don't follow the local talent, but I do read the headlines…although I don't believe you were mentioned in the unfortunate scuffle the other day."

"Nah, me and Gourry were out of town and missed all the excitement." Lina searched the man's poker face for some reaction, but saw nothing. _Scuffle be damned!_

Halcifom seemed unaffected by anything Lina and the others had shown him. And that bothered Zelgadiss. What was he to do now? He couldn't simply yank out that gaudy pistol and swish it around! _Damnit anyway! Where was Xelloss, the man with the plan?_

"AHHHHHhhhh...umph!" Again, using his staff to trip up his target, Xelloss had his victim where he wanted him– at his mercy.

"Tiiba? Is this _you_ again? You have sprouted feathers since we last met. Taking flight? And here I thought I'd freed you to get a message back to your boss...to leave town. But you're here!"

It took a minute or two for the chicken-suited man to get his breath back. "I...I did. You ...don't work for her...not my boss."

"Not only do I not work for Zelas, I killed her. I have all her power at my disposal. Not only that, but all of DarkStar's as well." Xelloss reiterated the facts for the dullard.

"Who?"

"What do you mean who? DarkStar? The late head of the syndicate's competition? That guy?" Xelloss was losing patience.

"Never heard of him."

Xelloss pounded the ground in frustration. "That gun. You recognized it. Outside the shrine...you were laying charges and we stopped you. The gun...I showed you the inscription...DS the star... And you knew it from _someplace._"

"It's not a star..."

"Say _what_?" Xelloss was not amused. He was about to start hitting things.

"My ah...brother is upstairs and should be here any minute," Zel said at last.

"Well then, permit me to introduce my _beloved_, Rubia." Halciform stepped back to lead a young lady out from behind a tall transparent vat. She moved slowly in the listless manner of an invalid. "My research has always been focused on curing her afflictions which have kept her sequestered from society."

Looking at the attractive girl, Zelgadiss wondered what her problems were, since they were not physical. In fact, from his point of view, Rubia was the most beautiful young woman he had ever laid eyes upon. Her lithe body remained immobile, nearly lifeless, moving neither toward the speaker nor to her audience. Her waxen flesh contrasted sharply with the copious, ruby-red hair which hung straight until it barely grazed her knees. From clear, blue eyes she stared blindly past him to...some far-off distant point in the universe.

"She no longer can hear, see, or communicate in anyway. It's...such a tragedy for someone as lovely as she to live a wasted life." Halciform caressed her hair, but she did not so much as blink.

"Do you mean that she once was...normal?" Lina asked. She was staring at the other redhead, whose face remained placid.

"Yes...such...a tragedy..." he repeated, apparently unable to go on.

"Ahem..." Rezo began. "Like you, Zelgadiss, his daughter (although he suspected that she was something else entirely, this wasn't the time or place with all the young people around to point that out) was unwittingly hurt as a result of an experiment gone awry..."

"Oh, let us be clear about it," Halciform declared dramatically. "It was one of _my_ experiments, but I take very good care of her. I shall find a way to make her whole again and restore her mind!"

Zelgadiss was enamored of this incredible girl whose terrible story paralleled his own, except that where her beauty was intact, his mind was and while he was fearsome to look at, she returned a vacant expression and was unable to interact with the world around her. They were like polar twins. He felt more drawn to her than to anyone else he had ever known.

Rezo was explaining how their research overlapped and how rediscovering his old notes on curing his blindness had excited him to begin his work anew. "If I could re-concoct the material which transformed your hearing, it might be a general neural stimulant which could be used to cure countless medical problems."

"If my Rubia could see and hear again...perhaps the secret to her entire rehabilitation is buried in those papers!" Halciform was growing increasingly animated, reminding Lina of the typical mad-scientist, no... more of a creepy, evil mage...

Zelgadiss' eyes hadn't left Rubia's face. "I want to help you...restore her life." He riveted his brilliant blue eyes on Halciform. "And in the process, my own."

WHAT! Lina burned with fury. Didn't Zelgadiss see that was how that awful man snared his laboratory assistants? How could he fall for...well, Rubia was rather pretty, but wasn't Zelgadiss beyond that kind of infatuation stuff?

A smile spread to Halciform's lips. "Ah...wonderful. Just wonderful. How soon can you start? You are taking courses at the university now, your father tells me."

"He's just taking two and he's not even graduated from high school yet!" Amelia cried out. This couldn't be true! Zelgadiss knew better than to get himself involved with…these unknown characters, his father included. And why was he looking at that girl…that way?

"Um...yeah. Zel's got a lot goin' on right now, school and what with our band, our musical, the band, the musical," Lina emphasized what was important. "Maybe next year. That'll give ya plenty of time to get things rolling first."

"Nonsense!" Rezo dismissed her argument with a word.

"The star...is a star_fish_. DS– Deep Sea. That came offa her general, codenamed Starfish."

Stunned, Xelloss sank back onto his heels, "Ssssssssshit." He hadn't understood until now just how deep in trouble they all were, _he_ was, in particular. He hadn't understood what the guy had said before when he'd questioned him outside the shrine. Xelloss must have been dreadfully tired and his head especially foggy and distracted by other concerns to have missed that reference. "And you report to…Starfish?" _Gods the names **the names** these bozos used! It was embarrassing just to refer to them!_

"Yes. I gotta go before he knows I've talked to you again."

"Oh, don't bother. I shall pass on my message personally this time. Will I find him in the lab below? Good. I know the way."

Zelgadiss had the nerve to reach out and tenderly pinch a lock of Rubia's crimson hair in his fingers and watch it slide over his mottled hand. _So beautiful,_ _like blood trickling off marble_. "I'll find the time."

Lina was lost here. _What was Zelgadiss up to?_ "Here? In this house? In the basement?" Lina questioned both men. "Why not at the university? There can't be that big of an over-crowding problem that you can't find lab space there? I mean, how safe can it be here?"

Gourry broke in unexpectedly. "This place is plenty secure. Surrounded by bedrock; the walls are five feet thick and vented way above regulations to keep the air quality real clean. Private, too."

_Private…like in secret_. Lina's eyes flamed up like tiny, twin torches. "You doing stuff illegal, aren'tcha?"

Rezo retorted, "Time is of the essence now! Following all the testing procedures required by the City-State statutes would force us into a backload of forms and permits, years of testing stretching into lifetimes! Here, we can…streamline the process, avoid the busywork…"

"Maim and kill your test subjects…" Lina put in.

"But…but," Amelia could see the injustice of the situation written on the laboratory's walls in Zel's blood. "That's just wrong! That's willful and predisposed disregard for the laws of Seyruun! It's unethical and…immoral! Oh, Zelgadiss, you agree with me, don't you? You want to help, and that's good, but…they are going about this all wrong. You don't need this, not when the doctor is offering you real cures, safe ones!"

"Those aren't cures," Zel's tone was dead. "They are tortures I'm being offered. This… this is the only way. Don't you see? I have to undo what was done to me. And this is my only chance! Don't you want me to become normal? Or are you afraid…once I'm not a freak, that I will no longer interest you…or be interested _in_ you? Or do you want to keep me like…a pet!"

"Okay, that's enough attitude, Z-mon," Lina warned him.

Both the words and the tone shocked Amelia to the core. He didn't really think that, did he? He couldn't believe that her feelings were so… shallow. How could he trivialize them so! "No! Not at all!" she shouted, stricken by his fateful attitude. "I don't care how you look. The only one who does is you!"

"In that case," he smirked, "I will _do_ what I _want _to."

Sylphiel cringed, while Gourry held Lina back from following through with her threat to 'pound some sense into Zel!' Amelia seemed heartbroken, but was as close to helping Lina smash in his selfish face as she had ever been--to forward the just cause, of course!

Rezo and Halciform, for the most part ignoring this dispute, edged nearer to one another. "He will do a fine job, my son. He's very bright and determined. It seems bringing his friends along has actually _helped_ him come to a decision."

Halciform smiled. It was an evil manipulative smile of a subjugating conqueror. It was unfortunate that Rezo was blind and unable to take note of the expression on his colleague's face, or he might have reconsidered encouraging Zelgadiss to participate in the research. "He'll be perfect. A wonderful contributor, I'm sure."

Xelloss caught it, however. It was a look with which he was over-familiar. "Hello, everyone! Sorry I'm late. Have I missed much?"

If anything, is was the barest hint of dismay that washed over the smug countenance of Professor Halciform. _Those Metalliums and their exquisite sense of bad timing… _His eyes flitted from Xelloss' face to the staff he held. _So, it was true. The boy brandished his mother's symbol of office like a baton, and handed out emblems of power like toy badges and trinkets. He was an imbecile or a loon, as he had been told. Good, idiots perished by the wayside--and crazy people he had had a great deal of experience with._

"Xelloss!" came a chorus of voices, some happy, some not.

"Am I glad to see you-- at _last!_"

"Well, Lina, I encountered a slight delay!" He giggled and tucked a small white feather into her hair. "Oh, Zelgadiss, I was wondering if you would show that gun to me again. I understand this man is an expert in identifying them. Perhaps he could give you a valuation." Xelloss smiled inanely at Halciform.

Rezo jerked around to face Zel and Xelloss. "GUN! My son has no gun!"

"This?" Zel grinned pulling the gun from his waistband, happy to prove his father wrong, once again. "It's too large and over-decorated for my tastes, but it looks important." He pointed it at Halciform, who recoiled. "Oh, sorry…" Zelgadiss flipped the gun around expertly and again offered it over, butt end forward. "It's not loaded."

"Where…did you get this?"

Zel folded his arms casually. "A gift from a friend."

Now, Lina's attention was diverted to the shiny object which she had to own. "Is it valuable? When did you get that, Zel?" _And why didn't you show this to me before this?_

"Valuable? That depends." Halciform's face became an inscrutable mask.

Rezo wheeled around onto Xelloss. "I advised you not to interfere here."

"Interfere? Who me? I just said hello…"

"You gave my son a handgun. That's illegal in Seyruun. He's underage…you both are!"

Xelloss gave him a withering _'oh brother'_ look, which was lost on the sightless man. "I like to think of it as just another of my heirlooms. Don't you agree, sir? Or, should I just call you…_Starfish_?" he asked of Halciform.

"Starfish?" Lina guffawed. If Xelloss wanted to be rude and resort to name calling, well…that was fine with her! She picked up a nearby beaker of green fluid and sniffed. "Ugh!"

"Put that down!" Rezo scolded her. "I can smell that from over here. It's unstable in oxygen. Put the lid on immediately!"

Halciform's smile became a sneer, his eyes danced from Zel to Xelloss to something behind their backs.

"I'm not so easily mislead." Xelloss smiled benignly. "You are not welcome here. I have made it my purpose in life to rid Seyruun of all its trash. Now, give my little brother back his gun, please."

"Then your life shall be short!" Halciform hissed, not bothering to hide his syndicate identity. "This…" he whipped the gun to point and glared down at Lina, "…is mine. It has served its purpose, which was to draw you out. And now that I have established who each of you are, I may proceed with my orders."

"Just one minute!" Rezo shouted authoritatively. "I remind everyone here that this is my home, not some battleground over a keepsake. If that gun belongs to Xelloss' family, then return it to him, Doctor Halciform, and stop bickering like old women over it. Xelloss, I shall have to ask you to leave now. You have spoiled our lovely evening with this nonsense…"

"No!" Amelia cried out. "Professor! You don't see what's going on here! He-he's got the gun and he means to kill us!"

"I removed the ammunition the other night, Amelia. I don't think he can…" Zel began.

The first blast ripped past Amelia's ear, and buried itself in Sylphiel's left forearm, "Ahhhhhh!" she screamed. Then she screamed some more.

Zel dove for Halciform's legs as the man aimed and targeted Gourry next, while Lina ditched the beaker, aiming for the attacker's face. "I'll give you unstable!"

Xelloss was also on the move. His first attempt to disarm Halciform had fallen wide of its mark. That man was fast. "Amelia! Stop her bleeding!" He shouted in mid stride. Concentration was difficult with Sylphiel's crying and wailing going on. As he finished his step, he swung his staff in a path to intercept the beaker which had fallen short of its moving target. It was about to empty its contents on Gourry instead as the big guy rotated around to avoid the gun pointed directly at his head…

The flashing orb smashed the glass, sending shards flying backwards into Halciform. "No!" the scientist cried out as he flung up his arms protectively, shielding his face from the foul-smelling liquid. Caught off-balance, he fell backwards.

Zel nimbly leaped up and twisted the gun from his hand, then bounded over Gourry and pushed Lina out of the way before nailing his shoulder on the corner of a table and falling to the floor. The gun skittered across the tabletop, and then plunged off the edge out of sight. "Ugh! I did remove the bullets, I KNOW I did! _Now_, where is it!"

While still in motion, Xelloss reached for Rezo by the nape of the neck and tugged him to the side, too close to a vat of something behind glass.

At the hollow sound, Rezo choked out, "Don't break the vat…it's flammable!"

"Yeah…" Xelloss nearly tumbled over the man's feet in his rush to get back to Halciform. Catching himself up, only wavering a second, Xelloss shot from the floor, making a mad dash at Halciform, hoping to stop his descent.

Halciform continued falling, hitting the side of the glass-enclosed vat with a dull thud. He blinked twice, and as he attempted to right himself, the glass splintered with a tinkling sound like falling icicles.

"No!" Rezo hollered over the chaos around him. "Up on the tables. Get up! Don't let that fluid touch you!"

Xelloss spun and saw Amelia struggling with Sylphiel. "Zelgadiss!"

Zel was on it immediately. Favoring his one shoulder, he bit back the aches and hefted the tall girl onto a table, then gave Amelia a hand up.

"You, too! Hurry!" Amelia begged him.

But Zel was gone. He had to save Rubia.

Rezo had struggled onto a ledge. Gourry, carrying Lina on his back, climbed upon a table top alongside him. "What's in it!" he shouted at Rezo.

Meanwhile, the liquid from the beaker splashed into the cleaning fluid in the vat. Halciform thrashed to gain his feet, cutting himself badly and mixing the two solutions together before his eyes glazed over.

"Get back…away…up on something!" Xelloss screamed at Zelgadiss, who was an inch deep in the vat's contents.

"Rubia! As soon as I help her!"

Xelloss cursed his life and made a dash for his friend. "Forget her. It's too late!" Xelloss grabbed Zel by the waist and tossed him like a doll at a table full of apparatus.

"Damnit Xelloss!"

But his words were lost in the roar of fire. It was like his nightmares played out in real time. As the beaker-liquid reacted with the oxygen in the air, it combusted the vat's liquid fuel. The floor of the lab became a river of blue flame, hot and smoky.

"Cover your faces!" Rezo shouted to any that could hear him.

No doubt the fumes were toxic as well.

"We're going to be burned alive!" wailed Sylphiel, although she was only echoing everyone's sentiments at the time.

Smoke was filling the room. They could no longer see.

Gourry, hoping to ease everyone's fears shouted, "Just wait! State-of-the-art sprinkler system…"

Which came on with a hiss…cooling the room instantly, drenching the people, but lowering the visibility to zero. The room filled with steam. "Everyone, get out! Don't breathe the air!" Rezo hollered.

He could hear scrambling and sloshing. "This way," Gourry's low voice said calmly, and giving him an arm to guide him out the doorway.

Zel busied himself with Amelia first, then saw that he would have to carry Sylphiel. "Go on," he told Amelia. "Try not to fall into this mess. It can't be good for us."

"I'll try, but it's hard to see where I'm going," Amelia replied shakily.

"Go straight. Put your hands out in front. When you feel a table, veer right and out the door." Zel could have found his way out in total darkness. He, in fact, had before.

The hall was flooded as well, mostly from the overhead sprinkling system. A fire alarm siren in the house above was pealing out its warning. Mrs. Shearer was at the door to the lab. "Oh my goodness, hurry…this way!"

The group slogged up the stairs into the front room.

Lina swung her head around, "Where's Xelloss?"

Zel pushed Sylphiel off onto Gourry and tore back down the stairwell. The fog had mostly dissipated. He had no trouble finding Xelloss hunched over near the broken vat. He was coughing, so he was at least alive. Rubia…was floating face down. Halciform, submerged entirely, was dead-- he assumed. As Zel rushed in, he had to decide which to pull out first, Xelloss or Rubia.

"Xelloss, can you walk?"

"My eyes…stinging. Feel stiff, but yeah…"

"Here, Give me your arm. Get up. There's a chance I can save Rubia."

"Don't bother," Xelloss said between coughing and wiping his eyes.

"What? She can be helped!" Zel slogged through the broken glass and oily liquid mess a step further, cursing the stinging fuel lapping at his skin.

"Gods, no, Zelgadiss! Don't look at her!"

Zel hauled her up by the shoulders, wrestling with her wet hair holding her down. "I have to see if she's breathing! OHhhh!"

Recoiling in horror at the sight of her charred face, he nearly bashed into the tottering Xelloss.

"She's not real!" Zel focused on the wires and ceramic mold beneath the melted and burned vinyl covering which defined her unearthly face. "W-why…?" Zel lost his grip on her and the manikin slipped back into the sludge.

Xelloss flew into another coughing fit, breaking Zel's trance. "Let's get out of here," he grumbled to his friend.

"I could have sworn I removed all the ammunition from that gun," Zel insisted.

They were waiting for the emergency vehicles to arrive and administering first aid where needed.

"You did. He replaced it. A slight-of-hand operation I barely caught myself," Xelloss relied. "Oh…that's it for these pants unless singed is a new look for hems."

"Mr. Xelloss! You're burned!"

"Yeah, but not much. I was lucky to have been able to walk on water."

Lina shook her head. "Okay, so if you're all right, then you can answer a few of my questions. Like, where did the gun come from?"

"I confiscated the gun off the intruder in my home. Too valuable a thing for the police to have." He smiled and pulled it out from under his shirt. "I even went back for it. Eh, eh! No, Lina, you can't have this! It's Zelgadiss' and he can't give it away!"

"But who did it really belong to? Halciform? And what's with that Starfish crap? Another mind-numbing codename?" Lina snatched at the gun as Xelloss emptied the remaining shells, and then tossed it to Zelgadiss.

Rezo had been shaking his head and muttering, "I had no idea…" but was now listening intently to what Xelloss was saying.

"Halciform set up the attacks on the mayor's house, the shrine, our place…just to get us out into the open. I don't think he expected us all to come here tonight, or he would have had reinforcements. We wouldn't have had a chance."

"But…what about that Grauscherra dude? Didn't we think he was behind this?" she pointed out.

"I was wrong…misled. I think Halciform ordered him to locate us, but when Grauscherra's stupid plans didn't work, Halciform came to do it himself."

"So, who do you think has been sending you those photos?" Zel asked.

"I don't know. Someone local. "

Lina edged up closer. "Xelloss, do you know who Halciform was working for?"

Xelloss nodded. "Yes," he said, but he didn't appear to want to say more.

"Xelloss, who _else_ have you kids got on your tails?" Rezo demanded.

"Ah…" he smiled and shook his head. "You are not going to like this."

"I already don't like this…" Rezo sighed.

"Halciform used the codename 'Starfish' when he was under contract to D.S, which I had assumed to stand for DarkStar. As it turns out, he works for my aunt, codename Deep Sea Dolphin."

And anyone who hadn't already been sitting down, was now.

Gaily he added, "You know, I never have met my mad auntie before!"

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 35.


	36. Rebellion

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 36 **

**Rebellion**

**_"Those who forget the meals of the past are destined to repeat them in the form of leftovers." -- Zelgadiss_**

* * *

.

From Rezo's residence to the hospital, Amelia stayed by Sylphiel's side holding her free hand and imparting optimistic and cheering solace. She was also consoling her father, via the cell phone, who was alarmed at the danger his darling, treasured daughter had once again been put through.

"Yes, I'm fine, Daddy. I'm on the way to the hospital with Miss Sylphiel. She got shot in the arm, but the bullet pierced her sleeve only nicking the surface so it's not bad at all. The ER people were really nice and are taking all of us to be checked for smoke inhalation because of the possible danger of the burning chemicals. Oh, yes, there are specialists testing the fumes and stuff. Professor Rezo insisted.

"Everyone else? Oh, Mr. Xelloss has a few burns, which is pretty lucky for him. He was trying to get the other university people... er...scientist, just the one, out while Mr. Zelgadiss carried Miss Sylphiel and helped me get out. Mr. Gourry and Miss Lina helped Professor Rezo. No, that man...the one that shot at us died. He hit his head when he fell backwards and broke a huge glass container of fuel that exploded setting the floor on fire. They said it knocked him out and he drowned in the fluid before he burned. Um, sprinkler system put out the fire really fast and the air circulation vented the worst-- I feel fine, Daddy. Well, I banged my knee getting up on one of the lab tables.

"I'll call you later, we're here. Love you too Daddy!"

She was right. Sylphiel's wounds were superficial and required a little antiseptic and bandaging. Xelloss received treatment for minor burns to his ankles and lower legs, and laughed about this trip to the hospital missing his birthday by a few days. They wanted to keep Rezo overnight for observation, but he wouldn't have it. There was no problem with smoke inhalation, thanks to the Gabriev ventilation and emergency sprinkler system, and Rezo wanted to go home and rest and think over what had happened.

"Oh..."

"Amelia? You okay? You sound like you need some cheering up, you know?"

Amelia smiled briefly. "Yeah, you are precisely right, Sylphiel. Exactamundo correcto. Life just sucks sometimes."

Sylphiel looked over her younger friend. That didn't sound like her upbeat, optimistic self. Now, Sylphiel wasn't deep, but she was intuitive and she could tell when her friend was down. "What's the matter? Tell me. I have awhile until my father comes and they release me."

"Oh, I don't know. So much... nothing..."

"Okay, so start with Zel the Jerk. He's gotta be the 'much'."

Amelia smiled, "Good guess." She explained her frustration getting through to him. How they would seem to become close, then he would say something cutting or off-putting and there she'd be wondering what was going on. "I think he's my boyfriend, but then he gets all _weirded__ out_ and then we're lucky to be friends. Tonight he was so far out there. I don't know if he was pulling everyone's leg, about that helping Rubia stuff, to bide time for Xelloss to come...or if he was serious...or something in-between!"

Sylphiel was nodding. "Uh, huh, yeah. He's just so...hard to get, ya know? Too...stuck in his head. I thought he was acting, though, you know, until Xelly came, but he shoulda said something later to _you_ at least, I think. You need to get him to stop thinking and start showing his feelings."

"Really?" Amelia perked up. "How can I do that?"

"Well, it's kinda tricky, but it will get his attention. It worked for me."

"I can do it, I know!" Amelia declared. If Sylphiel, acting as the older more experienced girl, had an idea, Amelia would listen. She _had_ been engaged once!

"Okay, but first, what's the other thing, you know, that's a problem?"

"That's Daddy. He's getting more and more smothering!"

"Oh!" Sylphiel laughed lightly. "That's **so** like my father! He's gotten all over-protective all the sudden. Where are you going? How late? What's the number there? He just hovers and gods...! It's like I'm back in kindergarten or something!"

"I know! Me, too! Daddy gave me some freedom and now he wants it back. He wants me to do all this stuff for him, but I have my own life and interests." Amelia was thrilled to have someone else to commiserate with. "I love him and all, but… You know I'm a really good person and try to please him, but he treats me like he's afraid I'm going to turn into my sister all of a sudden and run off or get into trouble or... I don't know...like he just doesn't trust me."

"Yeah, like, who knows? I mean, who can understand their problems sometimes. They just worry too much and take it out on us," Sylphiel summarized.

"Yeah, but this is getting depressing. Let's get back to Zelgadiss. Tell me what I should do about him, instead."

"Well, it's going to take a lot of guts," Sylphiel began.

"Not a problem for me," Amelia guaranteed her.

"...Because Lina shouldn't have to stay home alone just because her sister's still at the settlement. I'll just stay the night there," Amelia enlightened her daddy _again_.

Phil sighed. He had been banging heads with his darling, headstrong daughter more and more frequently of late. Although he had been through all that before with his first offspring, dear Gracia Nahga De Seyruun, he had just hoped it would be easier with Amelia. It HAD been easier, up until the time that she had discovered boys or at least one in particular. He had had reservations from the start about sending his barely-fifteen-year-old little girl out on 'gigs', especially those over-night ones, with four—count them!—four older young men a year ago, but she had seemed so mature about it and he didn't want her to think he didn't trust her.

He felt no less troubled about it now, however. To be fair, he knew Filia was a good girl with close familial supervision, but Lina had been an unbridled child who had roamed town with his dear Gracia, and, from what he could gather, had not changed much. Sylphiel had shown poor judgment with her numerous short-lived attachments and that rash and broken engagement, although a near-miss with that dangerous Xelloss boy could only be considered a good thing.

No, they were fine children for the most part, but he was becoming concerned. Amelia needed to spend more time with kids her own age and buckle down and apply herself to her school work. She had curtailed many of her school activities and interests to preserve band time, at what cost to her own personal development, he wondered?

_And what had it brought her in return? Perilous danger to herself and himself, the death of her cousin, death and danger all around them! And to top it off, she was infatuated with Rezo's son. Poor boy couldn't help looking repellent, but it was his stubborn streak and bullheadedness that bothered Philonel the most. Bad influence on his darling daughter. That young man had no business living on his own. He should be living in that house with his father. That would straighten him out. Rules, structure. And stick that Val character out with the clan permanently. Clean him up!_

_Xelloss. He was an endangerment to them all. That young man should be locked up for his own good. He would have his lawyer look into that. He must have some family, somewhere. Or another White Shrine where he could be assigned._ He'd have Nels Lahda check into that.

But first, he had to deal with his current problem. "Why not invite Lina over here? She always appreciates Mrs. Andrew's cooking."

Amelia shrugged. "She always comes here. It's just one night."

"But you have school tomorrow, and you know I frown on activities on school nights."

"Dad-dee! I am not staying up all night. Lina has school, too. Plus we can walk to school together. And that's good exercise!"

"Okay, but only this once. I want you home this week. I haven't seen you much lately, and I miss my little girl. I've come so close to losing you twice in a week!" Phil drew her into a tight hug, which she returned briefly, then slipped away and dashed for the door.

"See you after school tomorrow!" he reminded her, but she was dashing for the van, shouting instructions to the driver and didn't hear.

"Just drop me at Mr. Zelgadiss' house. I need to pick up some homework."

It was nearly ten o'clock at night. The young driver turned to her. "Shall I wait then to take you on to Miss Inverse's?"

"No, don't bother. I'm not sure how long it will take. It's okay, any one of the guys can just drive me over to Lina's."

Sounded reasonable. The driver took off to park the van in the mayor's garage for the night and go home.

Val opened the door wondering who might be visiting this late. Zel and Xelloss should be home any minute, unless the lab ran over, but they wouldn't be knocking. "Yo." His eyes dropped to Amelia's upturned face. "Hey, 'melia?" He opened the door wide and beckoned her inside. "S'up?"

"Hi, Mr. Val. Is Zelgadiss here?"

"Not yet. Lab tonight. Somethin' 'bout doin' it early so there's time for a practice. Guess there won't be one Friday. Want somethin'?"

"Friday, Kiki comes back. No, thank you, Mr. Val. I'll just wait in here." She sat on a chair in the kitchen.

"Ah...right. I'll be in my room, if ya need anythin'. TV's in there, if ya want." He pointed to the front room as he examined her face for any signs of distress. She looked nervous, but not upset.

She smiled. "I'm fine, really. I just need... he has something I need."

Val nodded and loped off. _Odd kid._

When Amelia heard the door to Val's room close, she stood and moved quickly to Zel's door. Without a sound, she turned the knob, and entered.

It was completely dark, so she waited for her eyes to become adjusted. She didn't want to risk a light. In a few moments, she could make out the outline of the window, blinds drawn and a large mound on what must have been Zel's bed. A mound with luminous eyes.

"Beast?" She timidly patted the old wolf-dog in greeting. She didn't want to set him off howling now.

"That was one hell of an awful experiment tonight," Zel groaned as they come up the walk to the front door.

"I hate laboratories, you know. I think I'm getting a real... _thing_ for them. That's 'thing' like in hatred. As in _I hate them_. Hospitals, labs..." Xelloss iterated.

"Damn... I smell like acetone!" Zel said followed by a groan of disgust.

"I be redolent of oil baths," Xelloss wailed, a hand poised over his eyes dramatically.

"Shower!" they shouted in agreement.

They had another agreement as well– Zelgadiss would go to classes and take notes and Xelloss would show up for tests and labs with him. Xelloss really couldn't face both Eris and Candy every morning five days a week, and Zel didn't want him to drop out. So, they made a deal that they could both live with and benefit from, although Zel would miss the company at the university.

"Put your clothes in the washer and I'll run it tonight," Xelloss suggested.

"Yeah, or our rooms will reek." Zel tossed his keys onto the counter and ripped off his jacket. "I hope our coats will be all right."

"I'll hang them in the laundry room and crack the window. Hopefully airing them out will suffice."

They both stripped to their underwear. Xelloss added detergent and started the washer.

"Yeah, well... 'night then. Oh, ah, see you at lunch tomorrow?" Zel asked with a shiver.

"Yes, indeedy!" Xelloss giggled, and then popped into his room.

Zel passed into his own room, depositing his shorts by the door, then dove into the shower. A quick rub down with a towel and brush of his teeth and he was ready to crash. "Hey, Beast! Move over!"

Zelgadiss had always slept fully dressed in sweats, even in summer. It wasn't that the scars hurt exactly, but the different skin textures had differing sensitivities, making skin-to-sheets contact a ticklish experience. The softer plush sweat fabric had protected him to some degree. Then came that absolutely wondrous mud-soak-stone-massage treatment at the spa earlier in the week, which seemed to have a lingering de-sensitizing affect, he found. From then on, when he slipped into his bed, shorts only, the new feeling was sensuously gratifying. He wasn't complaining. Now back in his own private home, he chose to sleep nude, as he had as a child, for as long as the effects lasted.

"Beast, I said move," Zel repeated in his low voice, this time adding a push.

An icy chill flashed from head to foot. That was warm flesh, not fur that his hand had contacted! "Gahhhhh!"

He simultaneously sat up, pulled down the covers, and recognizing the face at close quarters even in the near darkness, gasped, "Amelia!" In his next breath he added, "What are you doing HERE!"

Zel's heart was racing, and it wasn't just with the adrenalin pumping through his system. His eyes were mesmerized by the sight of Amelia's pale skin exposed to his view. With an effort, he managed to elevate them to her face.

"W-well?" He was breathing hard. "Amelia, what are you... doing here... like that?"

She tugged the sheet up to her neck. "I wanted to prove to you that I'm not some fragile vase. That I'm ready for this."

_Oh joy... oh... gods_. "V-Vase? Your father knows you're here?"

"No! Of course not! He thinks I'm at Lina's, but this isn't about him...it's about..._us_." There, she'd said the fateful words just as Sylphiel had dictated. Now, he should rush into her arms, gaze longingly into hers eyes a moment, and then smother her with kisses and tell her that she's the most beautiful girl alive and hold her till dawn. _Sigh_. Sylphiel said it worked for her and she should know!

_Gulp!_ Zel's logical functions were shutting down. He was in bed nude with Amelia. _His bed.__ No clothes. Amelia_. _Oh…wow_. The impossibility of the circumstances made him doubt its reality. This was a dream. _That's it! I'm dreaming this!_

"Ah..." At this point any lingering memories of fair Rubia were mopped up and carted off by his in-brain chemical-cleanup crew.

"Don't you _want_ to kiss me?" Amelia's voice lacked confidence, even to her. She was rapidly becoming less certain of this rash course of action the longer Zel just sat there gaping.

_Want?_ Zel hadn't even addressed his wants. He was still in denial of the situation! Well, he might as well let this dream run its course; however, his dreams had never been so explicit visually yet so ambiguous logically.

"Ah, sure." _If I kiss her, then she'll fade away and I'll either wake up or start a new dream._

He pressed his lips to hers. They felt warm and real enough. _Yeah, well... she's still here. _So **_now_**_ what, brilliant guy that you are?_

He was so nervous it felt likebutterflies were threatening to set up housekeeping in his intestinal tract. _No they had already done that...what was next? They laid eggs which would in turn hatch into little caterpillars, crawling inside his guts... Ugh! _He shook the bugs out of his brain and returned his attention to the task at hand, or girl in this case.

This time he knew where to put his hands, but it was smooth skin instead of cloth that met his fingertips. _Wow._ Never in a thousand years did he ever think anything could feel so nice.

But so wrong.

"Z-Zel--gadiss?" Amelia asked timidly. She was full of doubts that this particular course of action, while wonderful for someone like Sylphiel and her ex fiancé, was not a custom fit for her and someone of Zel's temperament. Or physique, which was another thing she had not taken into account. _Ugh, his skin feels kinda creepy and his hair is scratching my face and his knees are sharp. Where is the music? What happened to that romantic moment this was supposed to turn into? _

He knew this shouldn't be happening, but... He ignored her prod 'to talk' and instead, deepened his kiss. That's when he noticed Amelia's body was rigid. Now that wasn't right, either. In those stupid movies Val had downloaded off the internet-- and he and Val and Xelloss all watched and scoffed at-- the girls were squealing with excitement and squirming around. What was he doing wrong? Well, those were contrived porno flicks with paid 'actresses' and this was one very uncertain, terrified, girl, who was his good friend. He opened his eyes and in the dim light could see her eyes closed tightly. He drew back a ways. She was trembling with fear.

With an effort, Herculean from his standpoint, he sat up and scooted off the bed. "This is wrong, Amelia. "You shouldn't be here." He pulled on his shorts and was in his closet digging in the dark for fresh clothes.

"B-but I want to be here with you." Her voice was less certain, however. _Or I should like to be if you cared at all about being with me. _She felt a sob blocking her throat.

Zel yanked on a long-sleeved t-shirt, and then stopped, shoulders sinking. He turned and returned to his bed. He sat beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "No you don't. I know you might think so, but not like this. Be honest. You are scared to death. You want to prove something, but this," he waved his free arm over the bed, "isn't the right way." His tone was gentle, but he had rejected her, and that hurt, right or not.

"What are you doing?" She sounded as if she were about to cry, but was holding it back. This was not working out the way Sylphiel said it would. He didn't want her, regardless. That was no charade with Rubia then. He was capable of falling in love, just not with her! Amelia didn't want this either now and she was embarrassed by her forwardness. She was afraid he now thought that she was cheap or vulgar.

He chanced a look at her face, and then wished he hadn't. It would so much easier to just go back and kiss her. What harm would that do? What should he do? What _was_ he doing? The right thing. She was just a kid who didn't know better, and he did.

"Doing? I'm _doing_ what I should have the moment I found you here. I'm getting dressed and taking you home. I'm going out to the front room. Get dressed and meet me out there." He didn't wait for an answer. He couldn't meet her eyes or he knew he might change his mind. He wasn't _that_ strong and noble.

They drove in silence. It was an all-out effort for Amelia not to burst into tears. Zel looked stern as he pulled up to the back entrance to the mayor's mansion and set the brake.

"Z-zelgadiss, I want to explain--"

He made to open the door. "Not now. Not tonight, _please_. I'm tired, you're tired. We'll talk later (if we have to.)"

He walked her briskly to the door. At the sound of their footfalls on the step up, the porch light turned on, flooding the entry with light.

"Gah!" Zel gasped.

"Awful isn't it? Ever since Alfred's death, security has been stepped up. I forgot about the automatic lights."

"I wasn't expecting them, that's all." Zel watched her search through her purse searching for her keys. "Find them?" he asked impatiently. He wanted to make his escape free and clear before her father could intercept them.

"Yes. Don't worry. This is entirely all my problem. You haven't done anything to--" Amelia started when the door suddenly gave way, Mayor Phil in attendance.

"Amelia? Is that you?" His eyes slipped sideways and riveted upon Zelgadiss. "Zelgadiss, too?"

Zel returned a curt nod, and then said to Amelia, "Tomorrow, then," and turned to leave.

"Hold on just a minute," Phil called him back. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought Amelia home. There was a… change in plans."

"I see. Fight with Lina, dear?"

This was the time for a little lie. Just shrug and nod and plead guilty and go in. Over and out. But not Amelia. For whatever imp had taken over her psyche, it had just decided to go for broke. "No, Daddy. I didn't go to Miss Lina's. I went to s-stay at Zelgadiss'."

Now, had Zel had any clue that she was about to incorporate him into her rebellious scheme, he would have left her in the lurch long ago, about the time the lights flashed on. **That** had been a sign from above. And this was how he was going to pay for ignoring a sign. A sign that his infamous karma was back and 'kicking it up a notch!'

Phil's glare swept from his darling daughter to her devious boyfriend. "I see--"

"Amelia!" Zel's last gasp prior to his fast approaching near-death experience, just the latest in a series. He should have been used to them now. _Why had she said that?_

"Zelgadiss had nothing to do with it! I went there to wait for him, but when he came home...he...he...he just brought me back." She stepped forward waiting for her father to move and let her pass.

To say that Phil was disturbed by this news would be an understatement. He was furious. His daughter had broken his rules, which he considered to be far too lenient already, and _that young man_ was involved. It was a bad moment for them all. "You are grounded, young lady, until notified otherwise. That includes all band activities! And you, young man, are not welcome here."

Needless to say, Amelia was not pleased. Zel did not stick around for the next act, but he could clearly make out the threats to his roommates and himself as he dashed to his car.

He had hoped to sneak back into his house, his room, his bed unnoticed and without the need to explain anything. But that wasn't what came to pass.

The lights were on in the front room. When he opened the door, Zelgadiss was met by both roommates, each hitched up on the arms at either end of the couch, poised, looking his way.

"You're up," Zel deduced unerringly.

"Yes, we are," Xelloss answered honestly for there was no way to deny it. "The sound of your car pealing away at midnight caused all kinds of alarms to go off. Sickness? _Anger_? **_Peril_**? I came out to see if you had left a note."

"Same here, but I'd let Amelia in and wondered if somethin' was up with her," Val added, and then waited for Zel's illuminating account of his behavior.

"Oh...gods..." Zelgadiss groaned, collapsing over the back of the couch, bent double, head down in the pillow seat, and then he just slipped head-first to the floor.

Xelloss gave his feet a push, and over he went. "That was enlightening. Rough night?"

Zel's muffled voice could barely be heard. "Yes."

"You drunk?" Val surmised.

"No."

"You and Amelia in a bit of a... _bind_?" Zel could hear the smile in Xelloss' voice.

"Ugh."

"I got the whole night ta listen," Val said, making himself more comfortable.

After a few minutes, they rearranged Zel onto the couch and prodded him into talking. Val explained how he had let Amelia in, but left her waiting in the kitchen.

"Well, that's not where I found her."

Tick, tick, tick.

Val twisted the stud in his eyebrow. Xelloss stared approvingly at the manicure he'd received at the spa. It was the only treatment he could endure, as it turned out.

Sighing repeatedly, Zel enabled himself after a time to conjure up the whole uncanny sequence of events. "I got out of the shower and climbed into bed and thought it was Beast in my bed, but it wasn't!"

"A_me_lia?" Xelloss asked in disbelief.

"Yes, A-meee-lia." Zel shook his head. "I was shocked, but then my higher thought processes went _kaplooie_ snap! "

Val roared. "Ho! He is a man after all!"

"And?" Xelloss cued him on.

"And, after a bit, I could tell she was upset and so I took her home. And then, instead of telling her father-- oh yeah--The Mayor of all Seyruun managed to rear his ugly mug." Zel buried his face in his hands. "Instead of just telling him that she and Lina had had a fight or had a change of plans, or whatever, Amelia told him that she'd been with _me_, not at Lina's AT ALL, and now she's grounded, no band at all for who knows how long, and I am banned from the premises from this time forward."

"Zelgadiss," Xelloss commiserated.

"Awww, shit! When Lina finds out, it won't be good," Val moaned as well.

"Lina... gods...no..." Zel's suffering knew no bounds.

"So, what upset Amelia?" Xelloss wondered. He was a nosy guy.

Oddly enough, Zel actually answered him. It was as if he had to get it off his chest and forgot that he didn't like to 'share'. "I just started kissing her then she froze up and I could tell that she must have decided it was all a mistake, so I told her it was, and made her get dressed and go home."

Xelloss shook his head. "She probably imagined it all differently, a romantic girl like her. Took a lot of courage to make a move like that, I think. She probably needed a little reassurance that you appreciated her doing it. Amelia must have wanted you to just hold her. You know how she's a huggy type, right? I've found most girls like cuddling, mostly. The rest is for the guy; that is, until they get older. Zelgadiss, think of her limited experience. Hugging pillows! Nice and soft and cushy while you're hard, bony, and heavy. You just overwhelmed her, that's all." He said it all so matter-of-factly you'd have thought he was teaching a shrine class.

But Zelgadiss was listening, and so was Val.

"That's what Candy liked. We'd just sit together and talk, or do homework. It's very intimate, just one-on-one, the contact, but nothing threatening. Light touches, jokes, listening-- girls seem to like that, even Lina... to a point. I bet if Amelia felt like she was taking the lead, she'd be less insecure and not get frightened. And don't monopolize the conversation. They want to ask you about yourself, but not have you tell them your life history in one shot. That's hard for me because I like to talk, and when I get going I talk too much, right?"

"Yeah, but go on," Val said encouragingly. "Tell me 'bout Filia. You've been with her dancin' an' all." Zel was happy to have the focus off him for awhile.

"In private, she likes to be surprised. Open doors, pull out chairs, compliment her. Most girls like to have their attractive features admired to some extent, but be sure you mean it! Filia's led a sheltered life and likes to think she's cultured like a pearl, so don't overdo it, but don't be crude. You like art and so does she, so that's a good place to start. And watch your hands. From my experience, limited as it is, girls would rather not be manhandled."

Xelloss looked down at his own hands and said in a far-off voice, "Cherish them..."

Zel closed his eyes. "Well, I stopped thinking the moment I saw her."

"Yeah, well, duh! Ya stopped though." Val rubbed his chin wondering if he should shave or not. "I don't know if I coulda done that. 'Course bein' Amelia an' all, mebbe..."

"Yeah, but she hates me now. I was awfully harsh, now that I think about it. I didn't let her explain either, but I was in shock. Why tonight? Why like that? What got into her to do something like that?"

Val shook his head, "That wasn't like her. Maybe she's been gettin' pointers from her sister."

Zel have him a hard look, then sighed, "You might be right. It was weird. Well, it won't happen again. Her father will never let her date me again. Just as well, I guess."

Xelloss nodded. "Oh, there will be another time. Trust me, she's not about to let one little setback destroy her chances with you, little brother. She's probably worried about what you think of her now more than anything else. Next time, just hold her and talk. Tell her she's beautiful, which isn't a lie, is it? Didn't think so! Then, be still and listen and relax and enjoy. Girls are wonderful, I think. I-I'm going to miss that kind of closeness the most."

Val placed a big hand on Xelloss' back, "Hey, dude--"

"I feel kinda numb actually. One moment I had a girl and then no one. It's a pattern. Maybe I ought to take up girl hunting like a sport: attract, catch, and throw back. Avoid the attachment part."

Val stared hard. "That don't sound like it would keep ya happy."

"And **_this_**does? I might as well start picking up fans and just making a run at it. Involvement is too complicated." Xelloss closed his eyes.

Val couldn't disagree with that declaration-- his feelings exactly. "You awake?" Val nudged Zel.

"Barely."

"Go ta bed. Things'll work out. Phil'll let up. We got some gigs lined up and that musical. He won't get in the way of all that...we got a contract."

"He was...mad, Val. He was ranting about sending you to the settlement and me to live with Rezo, and Xelloss?"

"What?"

"Never mind. I'm going to bed."

Xelloss stopped Zel with a grip to his arm. "What did Phil threaten to do to me?"

"Send you away to some other shrine. Listen, Val was right. The guy over-reacts. Nothing happened. I don't know what's got into Amelia, but I'm guessing that she's tired of being in his shadow and under his tight rule. And, ah, thanks for listening to me and... ah... for your insights. Come on, Xelloss." He tugged his arm free, and then hesitated. "Xelloss--"

"Okay."

The three friends traded good-nights, and then parted, each to his own room and each to his own thoughts, which were plentiful.

Backwash.

The next day band practice had been canceled. Lina and Luna were over at Amelia's pleading with her father for some reprieve from his ruling. They had the musical to prepare for, gigs on Sunday and the following weekend, and Kiki was due back in Seyruun in a few days, Friday!

Sylphiel had recovered fully and had gone back to school that day, but her throat was raw. In fact, so was Lina's and all the others, which made singing difficult.

It was just as well. No one was in the mood.

"So what's for dinner?"

"Food."

Xelloss made a face at his _fun_-ny brother. "No kidding."

Val lunged for his chair and then watched as Zel mounded lasagna onto his plate. "Does this look familiar to _you_?"

Xelloss poked at his serving with a fork. "In what way do you mean? I recognize it as an eatable substance."

Val glared. "Ha, ha."

"Those who forget the meals of the past are destined to repeat them in the form of leftovers." Zel declared wittily as he took his seat at the table. "Wine anyone?"

Val 's face creased into a grin, "All right, dude!"

"Forwarding gift to Xelloss from Kiki," Zel informed them.

"Oh really? So then why didn't I get to open it?" Xelloss wondered.

"I was here and signed for it when it was delivered. I figured, exploding bomb, why take a chance? Then I noticed the return label and thought I'd better take a look, besides, I had just forged your name-- that was practically stealing your identity already. Nice isn't it?" He sipped about half the glass.

Xelloss continued staring at Zel, then shrugged. _Oh well_. "Can I see the bottle?"

"Certainly," Zel pushed the bottle closer. "Attractive label."

Val intercepted it first. "First Anniversary," Val read aloud. "What do ya think that's about?"

"Probably has to do with a particular vintage," Zel said knowledgeably.

"It's a new one," Xelloss remarked. "I hadn't seen this on the list I ordered from, ah, for Filia's folks."

"Nice." Val raised his glass as a toast.

"Nice of them to send it!" Zel clicked his glass to Val's.

"Nice of you to pour it." Xelloss offered his glass in a toast.

"Nice of you to share it with us." Zel clicked back.

Val chuckled, "I can't believe I'm par-ti-ci-pa-tin' in this!"

"Does that mean I can have the rest of yours?" Zel asked, reaching for Val's glass.

"No!" Val whisked it out of the shorter guy's reach.

"To… the afternoon off!" Xelloss giggled.

"To… more of that wine; here let me pour," Val mumbled.

"To… us! Not on your life, Agares-dude! _I'm_ doing the pouring," Zel lurched over the table and sloshed the glasses.

"To… OZ!" Xelloss giggled some more.

They relaxed and prepared to enjoy a nice quiet evening at home for a change and forget their troubles.

Backlash.

While in another part of Seyruun--

"Luna, I am not an unreasonable man. I am willing to listen to everyone, but Amelia is my responsibility, sole responsibility, and that has to come first."

"Agreed. But Phil, you have practically cut her off from the outside world. No cell phone, no e-mail, school-related activities only... Her only contact with her friends is lunch. You don't think that's a bit harsh?"

"She broke our trust. As she improves her behavior, she will regain her privileges." Phil interlaced his fingers and settled his hands heavily on the table. "She is not the only one on the hotplate."

Luna nodded. "I have to tell you, although I don't know what really happened, Zelgadiss is no predator--"

"Hell, no!" Lina put in. "He's been climbing in and outta my window for years. His only interest is good conversation."

Phil's eyebrows shot up at the mention of the 'window' incident.

"Eh, maybe that's not so good an example. But, listen, he's the least aggressive guy I know. He's always telling us that Amelia's too young to be a romantic interest for him, not that he's got any others." Lina trailed off, unsure where to go with her argument. She didn't really know what Zel had done, if anything, to deserve the exile verdict or what Amelia could possibly have done to be cloistered at home so absolutely. All she knew was that Amelia had gone to Zel's and not her place, and that he'd brought her home very late that night.

Luna stepped in with the save. "I've known the boy most of his life, Phil, and he's principled and terribly inhibited. If he brought her home, I'd say that took a lotta guts. He didn't have to. He could have had her stay over and not risked a confrontation with you. He could have taken advantage of her not just last night, but on multiple occasions, I'm sure."

"But he didn't! He hasn't! He'd never!" Lina asserted. "The safest Amelia is, is with the band. We look out for one another and there's no stuff goin' on of _any_ kind!"

"Safe? SAFE!" Phil thundered and pounded on the table. "She has be shot at twice, nearly killed in a bomb attack, burned, asphyxiated, had her life threatened in her own home, all in a matter of weeks! Not to mention the danger to her throughout the past year."

"Yeah, well," Lina waved her hand, "there's danger and there's danger. Nahga can tell ya some pretty scary stories herself! Life's full of danger--"

"Not mine!" Phil said, his sonorous voice carrying throughout the house like a fog horn. "And don't think I haven't been on the phone about that!"

Luna rubbed her temples. She had been on the phone herself, first to Rezo, that poor gentleman. He was a very proud man whose world had been rocked off tilter. The chemistry department was in an uproar, officials were calling for an investigation of all the ongoing research projects. She knew for a fact that he was concerned for the reputation of his venerated university if the depth of syndicate infiltration was discovered. Ah, yes, Luna had been busy pulling her own strings all night. "What was that?"

Phil repeated. "I said that I know those boys are over eighteen now and can legally retain that home together, but I've been putting pressure on Rezo to do something. He was about to move his own son back into his house. Something about helping him out with some private work, then this happens! I want Milgasia to put pressure on Val to move as well. I understand the man's secured a house on the settlement for him. It's important that Val gets more structure, and the clan can have him!"

Luna felt the hairs on head stand on end. The clan was under her jurisdiction. "Stay out of clan business, Mayor. Val has his own resources and his own ideas as to how to conduct his life. If he wishes to make the clan his home, that's fine, but no amount of pressure from you or Milgasia or anyone will make that happen."

"He and that Xelloss character are a dangerous combination," Phil maintained. "So, I've spoken to Nels Lahda, who agrees with me. He is arranging a transfer for Xelloss to another shrine, where he will have constant supervision and the help he needs."

"Help!" Lina burst out of her seat. "What he needs is the syndicate off his case. You got a phone call that can do **that**! Other than that, he's doing just fine, and so's Val and Zelgadiss. Hey, last year, Val hardly made it to classes and was selling drugs and stealing stereos. Now he owns a home, runs a country club, is graduating with grades good enough to get himself into a good art school, and is in one heck of a fine band! Xelloss was just out of a mental institution and was a minion enthralled under his wicked mother without a friend or hope in the world. Now, he's got family that cares (some he'd rather not have, but whatever) and is making life choices that are his, and is in the best damn band in the country. And it wouldn't hurt to say that Zelgadiss has progressed from an introverted, son-of-a-bitch to become a caring, talented, fun-loving participant in the best kick-ass band this world has ever known. And now you want to destroy all the progress that I have made? All my hard work gone to waste? Oh, I don't think so!"

She was practically foaming at the mouth by the end of her rant.

Luna held her breath. She had simply let her little sis get her feelings off her chest.

Phil sighed and shook his head. "When you put it that way, the boys have come a long way. I just want them to live to see the next year."

"So do I," Lina smiled. "I've got this musical to finish and the band--have I mentioned our band? Well, our band travels with two security men now– and these two passed all the id checks."

Luna added, "I have it from an excellent source that Zolf and Rodimus are well-trained for their newly invested positions. Problem is, they can't be everywhere all the time and they can't be where they are needed if they're not informed about it. That, I blame the kids for."

"Gee, sis, I don't think Zel normally needs an escort to go visit his dad."

"But someone suspected something, or you all wouldn't have all been 'called upon' to accompany him," Phil pointed out. "And that person would be Xelloss. He seems to be the vortex for most of the problems. If he were elsewhere, the rest of you would be safer."

"Not true! Zelgadiss would be targeted, then Val, then... We were all on that 'most wanted' list! There is no safe zone as long as the syndicate thinks it can operate here." Lina glanced across the table. "Ah, you think I might be able to get a drink or something?"

They took a brief break while Mrs. Andrews brought in some refreshments. Phil was agitated, pacing the room until the woman left the room. As she closed the door behind her, he wasted no time in pulling out his cell phone and placing another call. "McGywn? Phil. What have you learned since last night? Well, yes, I am pressuring you. I want some results! I have people calling me, and you know what they are asking me? They want to know if Seyruun is still a safe place to live. Seyruun! The Jewel of this continent.

"So I pose this question to you, my soon to be chief of police, is Seyruun safe? Well, then...lets get the ball rolling again. A bigger, better ball! I want a plan to squirrel out these damn syndicate monsters once and for all. Yes, I called you my future Chief of Police. The last man just handed in his resignation this morning. Said he was no longer able to do the job I had appointed him to. Why you? Well, that's simple...you can. Why? Because you and you alone seem able to communicate with these kids of ours. Yes, Xelloss in particular and his cooperation, you know, is absolutely required. Just say yes and the job's yours. No, don't think about it. If you do that you'll talk yourself out of it. Very good, congratulations. My secretary will send the paperwork. No scratch that. Meet me downtown at the White Shrine, 9 o'clock AM. We'll have breakfast with Nels Lahda and lay out some ideas...you can sign the papers then. Fine. Good night, now."

"Well, that's one less problem I have to think about tonight," Phil said with a sigh as he put away his cell phone. "Now, I understand your concern for the band, and I know Amelia is contractually required to participate, but not this week. She and I have some catching up to do, some fence mending. We are having a house warming party, nothing big, just a small gathering to welcome Kiki and her family to Seyruun. The invitations have gone out. You should get yours tomorrow most likely. I'll allow Amelia to attend that. As for the other activities, depending upon how the rest of this week goes, I'll evaluate at that point."

Lina was not satisfied. "We gotta gig this Sunday and another next Friday and Saturday at the beach resort."

"You'll have to do the Sunday one without Amelia. I'll consider the job next week later, particularly since it is an overnight."

Fallout.

"Well, that's the best we can do for tonight," Luna said as she nursed her old car to start. "He seemed more reasonable than when I spoke to him over the phone. Sorry, Lina. I wish I could do more to get the band on track for you."

Lina looked askance at her big sister, who was more like a mother than her mother had ever been. "Yeah, I'll be okay. We can cover for her Sunday. I'll call Joey and make sure he can come so Xelloss can break free to do our duet thing and sing an extra number."

"Xelloss sings?"

"Yes he does. Good tenor. He's Mr. Entertainment these days. Sings, dances, acts, tells jokes. At least he _was_. He had a rough break up with that stupid Candy girl and just found out about all that other stuff, you know... that not only some uncle of his or Zel's, I forget which their family's so screwed up, but an aunt-- Zelas' sister was behind this latest killing attempt."

Luna nodded, but kept her eyes on the road. She'd heard it all before. "Think that will affect his voice or sense of humor?"

Lina smiled. "Humor's his survival technique for the violence, but he sent us all this weird e-mail to tell us he wasn't taking his medication any more. Now, I can't really tell the difference, but then I see him mostly off them anyways. Gives him more energy for performances, he claims. It's just... he hardly cares about much lately. Like, it was his birthday and he hardly ate dessert! He goes through the motions, but--"

"His heart's not in it? But his reflexes are still sharp, right?"

"Yeah, I thought I had that Starfish dude with that stinkin' cup of shit, but he moved fast for an old guy. Gourry got in my way or I would have kicked it into his face, but then, instead, Xelloss was knocking it away with that big stick of his. He came outta nowhere." Lina sighed and looked out the window.

"Xelloss just keeps saving you over and over, doesn't he?" Luna mused.

"Eh? It was Gourry who nearly got his brains blown out, and it was him that saved me that first time, if you recall. Anyway, I was fine, never at risk."

"You're sure about that? You don't think in the next heartbeat that gun wouldn't have been pointed at you?"

Lina wasn't sure. It was possible. "No, not with those syndicate artifacts Amelia and I were wearing. That kept us safe. Old Halciform didn't care about the shrine's reaction to murder, though, that's for sure. He was aimin' for Gourry and Sylphiel. He was trying to bond Zel with a contract. Xelloss, we don't know what nasty plans he had against him, had he had time to carry out, staff or no staff."

"I wanna make a little detour. I haven't seen this house of sin, heh, heh." Luna chuckled at Lina's wide-eyed look. "Think the boys will let us in?"

"We can go over anytime," Lina said.

"I mean through the front door," Luna sneaked a quick smile in.

"Ahh..." Lina began to object. "I probably shouldn'ta mentioned that about Zel, huh?"

"I don't know if you'd noticed this about little Zel, but he's not so little any more." Luna waited for Lina to say something. When she didn't, Luna continued. "He's still touchy and retiring, but he's no weakling, handsome in his own odd way."

"First Xelloss and now Zel? What's with you and my friends? Julian getting dull?"

"Ha! No, I just enjoy seeing you squirm and get all defensive. It's not a side you show to just anyone, squirt."

Lina gaped, mouth framing words that couldn't come out. "Sssssquirt? You haven't called me that since, heh, heh, yeah."

"Yeah, that!"

"Hey, I'm sorry 'bout that. I was just a little--"

"Squirt."

"Kid! I had had my eye on that camera of Dad's--"

"Mom's," Luna cut in, paled, then corrected herself, "Ah, yeah, Dad's. His spy camera. You stole that?"

"Yeeeeahh. Like I said, Dad's little silver camera." She had noticed her older sister's odd reaction. She guessed that Luna had been closer to her parents and that talking about them was harder for her. Better move on to the funny part, she thought. "I got bored takin' pictures of the grass growing so I started hunting for subjects. Heh, heh, that's when I heard ya singin' in the bath."

"I don't remember ever singing, in or out of the bath."

"Maybe that was screaming when I started clickin' away," Lina grinned. "Man, were you ever pissed..."

"I was just, self-conscious. My, er... figure had just come in and I didn't want anyone to see me. I wasn't much younger than you are now." Luna slowed, looking for a parking place on the block. "Doesn't anyone park in their garage anymore? Anyway, I was mad at you then, but that was nothing compared to how mad I got when I found out that you'd made prints and were selling them to kids at school!"

"Dontcha know it! You went ballistic!"

"You bet," Luna turned off the ignition. "That was an awful thing to do."

"Yeah, I know." Lina became contrite. "But, it did get you your first boyfriend."

"Boy_friend**s**_!" Luna emphasized. "I got asked out by at least four different guys that day. I was ecstatic, until I caught wind of those photos you'd spread around. I could have killed you."

"Yeah, we didn't talk for years. I was terrified of you, still am a little," Lina admitted.

"Not true."

"Yeah, it is." Lina nodded.

"We're talking now."

"We've been talking a lot more lately. It's kinda nice, ya know?" Lina smiled shyly.

"It is. We should do it more often. Why don't we?"

"Well, at first it was about me being so afraid of you," Lina began. "Then later it was more about Mom and Dad. Every time I'd mentioned them, you'd clam up. After awhile, I just stopped asking about them, Mom mostly, then eventually I just stopped talking to you altogether. You were busy with college and me with getting Zel to wanna live again."

"That was a hard ordeal for you, too much for someone so young."

"I had no choice! Zel was my bud, my closest friend. And it was so awful to see him laying there all bandaged head to toe. I had wished we could change places 'cause I knew I could handle it all better than him, that I was the stronger one. We were so much alike, still are in ways. That's why I said the things I did to Phil. Besides, I need to straighten things out with Zel again. He said a few things in that lab he needs to re-think. Acting or not, if he's gonna be a jerk, he'd better square it with me later. He's one the best people I know and I wanna help him."

"You don't think he can do it himself? That he's not strong enough yet?"

"Actually, and don't you dare tell him this or... Well, just don't, 'kay? Ah, well he's physically got me beat now. He's tough when he wants to be. He doesn't need me to beat up the bullies any more. Yeah, that's not his problem. He's still weak in his...self image, though, and backs off from battles he should win just because he doesn't believe in himself."

Luna smiled, "So, he still needs his little Lina?"

"Damned straight he does!"

"Then, let's go in and see what we can do? Okay?"

"Sure, Luna. Ah, this is strange, but it's really nice to have you on my side, with Dad and Mom gone and all."

"I'll always be on your side, and Mom's not dead, she's just...unable to see us. But, sis, she loves us, I know she does. She just... can't..." Luna paused.

"Eh, that's okay. Doesn't mean that much ta me. We got each other! Come on, lets go in and kick some Greywords ass before we start gettin' sappy. I hate sap...that and angst!"

"Okay," Luna shook her head with a smile. "Lead on."

Val opened the door. "Well, look who's here. Hey, dudes! I got two fine ladies here!"

Lina pushed in, "Knock it off and just let us in. It's cold out here!"

"Good evening Valentine," Luna said with a gleam in her eye.

"'Evening, Knight. So to what honor do I owe this vis-it?"

"I found him!" Lina hollered from the kitchen over Xelloss' head. Zel covered his ears with his hands and winced.

Luna sniffed, "You been drinking?"

"Naw, just a glass of wine with our din-nah. That girl Ki-Ki sent it to Xelloss." Val answered without due consideration.

Luna's expression darkened, but she didn't start a lecture.

"Phil's having a party this Friday, I think, for her and her family." Lina shouted again so everyone could hear the news. As Val and Luna joined them, she went on. "So, he's easin' up some, but no Amelia for the gig Sunday for sure, maybe for the beach thing. Which reminds me, I gotta call Joey."

"On it!" Xelloss piped up with his cell phone in hand. "Luna! What a special treat! Just a second and I'll give you the grand tour. Ah, yes. Hello Shari. How are you? That's too bad. I hate colds, too. Is Joey there? Can I speak to him? Thanks. Hope you feel better soon." He rolled his eyes and danced in a circle to kill time. He jerked back to attention when the phone was picked up again. "Joey? We sure do. Sunday and next week Friday and Saturday– beach trip. Sure, go ask your mom and tell her Sunday's really important because we'll be short Amelia's solos." Xelloss smiled and tapped out a partial tune on the counter. "What's that? You can? Great. I'll let you know about a practice later. 'Kay, stay healthy. Don't kiss any diseased girls!" Xelloss laughed and hung up. "Done. What else?"

"You're pretty jolly," Lina's eyes narrowed.

"We shared a bottle of wine." Zelgadiss said. "We thought we deserved it for all our good deeds like knocking off more syndicate leaders and their mockery of life offspring... and delivering young maidens from evil monsters. Oh yeah, _that_ deserves a kick in the guts."

Lina's eyes narrowed further. "I'd go as far as saying that you are drunk, all three of you."

"One bottle, three ways," Zel pointed to the bottle.

"Tour time!" Xelloss sprang to life. He took Luna by the arm and lightly wrapped it around his own. "In here we have the kitchen. This is my fish. No name. It's going into our pond in spring. This way goes to the outside. We have deck, hot tub with rock water fall and pond. No fish. Lots of trees--"

"It's probably nicer in the springtime," Luna commented.

"It's nicer in the daylight!" He giggled and turned, leading them back into the house. "This way to the front room, where we have the entertainment center, chairs, couches. Would you like to watch something?"

"Maybe another time."

"Okay! Sooooo, from his central location--"

"Is that the window that was broken?" Luna asked with interest.

"Yes! Right on the first try."

"Which room is which?" Luna nudged him back on course.

"That's Val-ly's...that one's Zel-gaaa-disssss'. That's mine and that's the guest room."

"No den?"

"No den, but I think Val's place is more of a cave and Zelgadiss' is a dive, while mine is more of a private abode for luring fascinating, mature women to paradise." Xelloss batted his eyes in mock-seductiveness.

"Paradise, huh? I could use me a bit of that. Lead on then, lady killer."

Even in his slightly inebriated state, Xelloss was not sure what to say next. "Ah..."

Luna tightened her grip on his arm and lead him away, "This one right?" and closed the door behind them.

"He's gonna be okay in there with her?" Val asked Lina.

"Yeah, her bark's worse than her bite," Lina turned to Zel. "So how are you, really?"

"Great. Really... great." Zel picked up his glass, swirled the last of the wine around, and then swilled it back. "Super, actually. Why do you ask?"

"I thought you might be needing a friend. Wanna talk about it?"

He looked up at her. "No."

"Why not?"

"Nothing to tell."

"Well, I'd like to know what happened. My band is a mess right now. I deserve the story at the very least."

"Why don't you have the princess fill you in."

"The _Princess?_ Oh, Amelia. Well, she's incommunicado currently, as you should know. She was mute on the subject at lunch, something that you would have noticed if you or your big goofus brother had managed to make it today."

"We were indisposed. He doesn't have the stomach to sit in his classes any more and when I stopped by the house to pick him up we decided to forgo the whole 'eat' thing and went to visit Subaru. He had been very worried after the attack on the Shrine. His fish were fine by the way. He says 'hello'." Zel took a deep breath and stared at Lina.

"The story. What happened between you and Amelia?" Lina insisted.

"Ah, Lina, Lina, Li-na... A dude don't kiss an' tell," Val said in passing.

Lina struck out with a fist. "I wasn't askin' yer opinion. Shut yer yap!"

Zel shook his head, "Lina, if I knew what was up, I'd be a smarter man, a better man, a-ah, someone different."

Lina waited him out. Her eyes must have bored a hole to his heart, because he finally opened up. "All right, so I got home from lab, not our usual night, but we wanted to get it out of the way in case there was an extra practice. We reeked of lab chemicals--"

"I can imagine," Lina acknowledged after first hand experience with stinking solutions. Her clothes had to be trashed after the experience in Rezo's lab.

"So I showered and went to bed..."

"Au naturel!" Val shot out. Hey, Xelloss woulda said it had he been there!

"Too much detail," Lina waved Zel on, while fixing Val with and irritated glare.

"Problem was when I told Beast to shove off, it wasn't a dog in my bed, it was Amelia."

"Huh?"

"A-me-li-a."

"Yeah, I heard. I meant, what was she doing there?" Lina prompted him for more.

"My thoughts exactly! I said, 'My, my, someone is sleeping in myyyyy bed, and it's a little girl!' Right after I picked my chin up off the bedspread that is."

"And what did she say?"

"She wondered if I would...ah...like to...kiss her," Zel finished with a dark blush to match the spot of wine on his shirt sleeve.

Lina flushed in kind. "Oh."

"Oh... is right."

"So, you took her home."

"Yes, after we got dressed."

"You weren't _dressed? Either of you?"_ Lina gasped and looked away, trying not to picture it. She focused on the fish swimming in its bowl. She realized that aside from eating them, she didn't like fish.

"That's right." Zel waited until Lina returned her eyes, and held them. "It was harder than I thought...to let her go. She's--" It was his turn to watch the fish circle its toy castle again and again. "She's beautiful. Flawless."

Lina was very uncomfortable now. So maybe her Zel wasn't so pure-hearted after all. Good thing she already talked to Phil with a clear conscious.

Zel went on. "So, I told her that what we were doing, or more precisely not doing, was wrong and that she couldn't stay any longer. Then... I drove her home and walked her to the door and was absolutely flabbergasted when she just told her father that she'd lied about where she'd been, and then told him that she'd been with me! She had no good reason to have done that except to get him mad at me, which is what happened, and at her and the band and...gods...I wanted to crawl into a hole, or punch him out! But I just ran to my car and took off. I had heard enough. I never can face him again. I never want to go back to that house again. Never!"

After a short pause, Lina said, "I don't blame you."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I don't blame you for not wanting to face him, right now. Luna and I just came from a meeting with him. He was a very messed up guy. He's worried about Amelia and all the trouble she's gotten into lately, well, since she's joined the band. He thinks she'll become another Nahga and it will be all his fault if he doesn't do something right away. I think I made a pretty good case for you not being a social deviant and that the band is primo."

"Deviant, yeah, that's me."

"Nah, I told him that you're a sweetie pie and I think he's softening up."

"Oh, thanks."

"No need to thank me," Lina said. "Like butter in my hands! Ah, but you can find me something to snack on to show your gratitude."

"How about a slice of _sweetie pie_?" Val laughed hoarsely from in front of the open refrigerator door.

"Go find out what's keepin' my sis!" Lina growled at him.

Val just starting laughing and snorting.

To whom Lina snapped, "Disgusting cretin--"

"Speaking of the devil..." Zel's gaze traced in the direction of the sounds now emanating from the other side of the house.

Luna and Xelloss reappeared in the kitchen. "Those reports look promising. You are going to see the doctor soon, aren't you? No reason to put off a possible cure is there, Zelgadiss?"

Zel looked away. "Except, that nothing will work, it will cost a mint, hurt a hell of a lot, and waste my time. But, if it makes you feel any better, Xelloss and I both have appointments set up. All right with you?"

"Just as long as you make sure the good doctor removes that giant chip off your shoulder while he's at it," Luna retorted. "You are so full of yourself, Zelgadiss Greywords. You're in good health. You have living family, friends. You are talented, creative, intelligent, and still, the only thing you can focus on is your shortcomings. Your poor face. Your sorry life. If you had any gumption at all, you would get yourself up and over to the mayor's and sit and talk to that man. Let him get to know you, explain yourself, tell him about what you know about the syndicate and what's happening to his precious Seyruun. Talk! Be a man. Don't count on Lina to pull you along and get you through life's little ups and downs. But...ah...not tonight. If he knew you'd be drinking, he'd have the cops arrest you and he'd have a case for breaking up this little party house." Luna turned to Xelloss, leaving Zelgadiss crushed.

"Thanks for showing me those web sites. Sometime, when you have a moment, I'd like some help out at the settlement fixing up the databases. I've had some problem merging the old archived stuff with the more current. I've looked over all of the material you guys collected last spring, but trying to put it into a more useful form has stumped me."

"No problem. My time is yours." Xelloss smiled.

"Yeah, when it's not mine!" Lina broke in possessively. "Say, we gotta shove off here."

"Nice of you to drop by," Xelloss reached for her hand, then on second thought, dropped his arm to his side. For a second he forgot himself. Lina was just a little like Laila at times. "Have a good evening, you two. I'll see you in the morning, Lina. Just call when you're ready to go over the script changes. And I have an appointment with the choreographer so you can see plans for the big production numbers."

Val groaned. "Shit, no big--"

Lina punched his arm. "Shuddup! Okay, see ya about 10:00."

"I have a new song to run by you," Xelloss said quietly as he walked the two visitors to the door, but when he turned to catch her response, he was no longer by his side. "Where...?"

Lina had dashed up to Zelgadiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, enabling her to whisper something into his ear. Zel's wide open look of alarm said it all, as far as Xelloss was concerned; she had kissed him. He was certain. Lina had kissed Zelgadiss, or so it had appeared from his angle. Xelloss couldn't bear to watch a moment longer and stomped off to his room to be alone.

This act wasn't lost on Val or Luna.

"What was that all about?" Luna asked Lina out in the car.

"What? My message to Zel? I told him that he was stronger than me, that he had over-powered me...ah...before in Atlas City in a situation we don't need to go into. That he didn't have to prove shit to nobody and that he was cute as a bunny regardless. He needed to be bucked up there at the end. You came down too hard on my lead guitarist."

Luna nodded. "Uh, huh. You didn't happen to notice Xelloss' reaction, did you?"

"Reaction to what? I shared a word with my bud! What was wrong with that?"

"Xelloss was talking to you, then you ran off and next what he sees, and I know 'cause it kinda looked that was to me, was you, the light in his eyes, giving your...bud, his best friend, a parting kiss. He was hurt. I could see it in his eyes, then he took off before anyone could see him, or before he could see any more."

"Kiss? Me? Kiss Zel? Oh for gods'sakes that's ridiculous! I can't help it if he flips out over stupid stuff like that. Let him and his roommates work it out. Geesh...I can't..." Her face wrinkled up in disgust as she continued to mutter.

Val shook Zel out of his trance. "You okay, dude?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, huh. So, what'd she say that's sent you out onto another di-men-sion?"

"I'm stronger. She told me I was stronger than her. She admitted it."

Val looked at him incredulously, "That's ob-vi-ous enough. You couldn't figure that out yerself?"

Zel said nothing.

"Better go talk to Xelloss, then. He thinks she vowed e-ter-nal love for you."

Zel smiled and moved off to do just that, muttering, "Idiot."

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 36.


	37. A Passion for Fishing

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 37 **

**A Passion for Fishing**

**_"Why indeed? Who knew he could water ski, or would want to at the end of a rope in his street clothes?" -- Xelloss_**

* * *

Fishing For Passion

"Oh Amelia! Bonjour! Mes amis..." the lovely young lady with shining, shoulder-length dark hair worn clipped straight rattled off her greetings in a confusion of French. Her bangs were short, revealing high-arching, expressive eyebrows, and chocolate doe's eyes. She was no longer plain or girlish, but striking.

She fell into Amelia's arms and tearfully told her how happy she was to be back 'home'; that is, after Amelia managed to get her to switch languages and slow down. From there, Kiki greeted each of the other Slayers. Lina yanked Gourry away from the hors d'oeuvres when Kiki drew closer. Mrs. Andrews took over a protective stance by the table of food, ensuring that everyone could get a nibble. Xelloss stood back, smiling and listening. He alone understood all her excited jabbering.

"Whoa, you've grown!" Gourry said as he gave Kiki a hug. "Bet you're taller than Lina... Hey Lina! Stand here an' let me see. Oh, yeah...lots!"

Lina was about to hit him upside the head, when Kiki stepped into her path. Kiki was pleased with his compliment. "I am so happy not to look like a twelve-year-old any more. Lina, you are so petite, but you look mature and you have the most beautiful hair!"

Lina smiled charmingly and thanked her. Kiki managed to say the right things to make others feel good. Zelgadiss she greeted with a warm smile and the lightest touch on his arm. "You have new earrings! So stylish!" she said causing him to blush dreadfully bright.

Yes, Xelloss noticed how nicely she was growing up. She twirled around and flashed him a dazzling smile. "There you are!"

"Bonjour, Kiki. Comment allez-vous?"

"How formal you've become," she giggled and hugged him too. "I'm fine and the house is wonderful! My room, you had it painted lavender, my favorite color. You remembered! That was so lovely of you."

"My pleasure." He bowed grandly, which made her laugh more.

Voices from the next room could be heard. Kiki's parents had presented the mayor with a couple crates of wine and were making sure they were being properly stored. Her mother led the trio back where the kids were gathering.

"Ah, mama, papa, these are my friends who could make it tonight. This is Lina... Gourry... Sylphiel..."

Her mother extended a chilly hand shake to each person in turn, and her father, a small mousy character with bottle-glasses, followed in her wake nodding and muttering a word in acknowledgment with each introduction. The woman stopped her daughter and questioned her in a low voice, to which Kiki replied, "Un moment..." and continued her introductions. "Val... Filia... Zelgadiss..."

The intense woman fixed her gaze on Xelloss, the remaining one to be introduced. In her native language she addressed him, You must be the young man we have to thank for the lovely home.

"Mais qui," he demurred. But when the woman reached out, clasped his arm and pulled him closer he straightened up and paid more attention to her posture and the perplexing signals she was sending out. She looked him over, intently. You are a nice looking boy. A little too pretty, but you are young yet. She stepped back and smiled slyly at Kiki. So this is my future son-in-law?

"W-What?" Xelloss gasped. Had he misunderstood what she had said?

Now, none of the other kids, or Phil could make out what she had said or the rest of the conversation for the next few moments, but it was apparent that Xelloss and Kiki were both confused. Xelloss turned white as a sheet as he listened carefully to what the woman was saying. Kiki was angry and trying to argue, while Xelloss alternately attempted to quiet her and ask his own questions.

Lina's patience wore thin pretty quickly. "What's the problem? Xelloss? What is going on?"

He shook his head and spoke to the mother a little longer before Kiki burst into tears and he parted from her parents.

"Ah, it is so awful, unbelievable!" her voice wavered. "Mama says our engagement is still on."

"That's impossible!" Lina said. "You turned him down a long time ago. Ancient history. Here, let me explain it--"

"No, she had something, a contract she says. That's what they're talking about now."

"Oh, Miss Lina, this is so unjust!" Amelia cried out.

"It's a stupid mistake." Lina nabbed Kiki by the collar. "Or is it? You wouldn't be trying to entrap the guy, would you? Yeah, why else would you come back? You figure you can get at any money his mother may have left him?"

Horrified at the notion her friends might think that of her, Kiki burst into tears and hid her face in her hands. "Oh no! Never. I just couldn't. If I had known she would do something like this, I would have warned him immediately! Please, believe me!"

Amelia was first to comfort her. "Of course you didn't know. I mean, I know you like Mr. Xelloss, but to get married at sixteen!"

"Shush, here comes Xelloss. He's probably cleared it all up," Filia said.

Gourry, Val and Zel had gravitated together into a protective triad to wait out the keyed up group. Arranged marriages, forced marriages, heck, any marriages at all were unreal to these guys in their late teens. Things of the past, or of the far, far future for them.

"Okay? Xelly? Can we finish up and go home now?" Filia swept past the others to have a look at him. They hadn't spoken since his birthday and he had been low then. He was not happy now either. His eyes hidden by his bangs, chin down, he stormed by her without a word. "What the...?" she muttered.

Val and Zel did a quick 'you or me' back and forth. Zel won and Val trotted after Xelloss. He getting to be so res-pon-si-bull!

Lina had gravitated back to the table where Gourry joined her, as did Sylphiel and Zel. Amelia first spoke to her daddy about the perceived problem, then pulled Kiki to the table beside her. "Things will be okay. Daddy won't let you get hurt. He'll make it right. There must be a misunderstanding. Look, here come Mr. Val and Mr. Xelloss back."

Xelloss stood by Val at the end of the laden banquet table. Conversation was limited while everyone ate, everyone except Xelloss and Val. Val knew what was 'eating' Xelloss, sorta, and it had killed both their appetites. Zelgadiss calmly tasted his plateful of food, he could wait and get the lowdown later, now he was attempting be a good guest and not draw undo attention to himself. Lina and Gourry were shoveling it in like there was no tomorrow. Filia kept glancing at Val and Xelloss nervously as if she expected one of them to sprout wings and fly away... or blow up. Amelia and Sylphiel engaged Kiki in conversation, attempting to draw out a few stories about her summer.

It was a tense party, made more so by Xelloss' now silent but unpredictable behavior. Lina was sick and tired of all the gloominess. She had to do something. Fast. "So, Kiki, we got this gig on Sunday, here in Seyruun, if ya wanna come hear us we could get ya in. The next weekend it's a beach trip."

Xelloss surprised her by answering. "I am sure my fiancé would love to come along. We have a lot of catching up to do. Don't we?" He pasted on a smile for good measure.

"Fi-ance, yeah, right," Lina grabbed a soda. Another situation Xelloss somehow fell into and would climb out of eventually. She didn't give it much more thought.

Zelgadiss was immersed in conversation with Sylphiel. He had heard what Xelloss had said, but let it pass. Instead, he asked Sylphiel about her arm and her car.

"I really miss that old car," she cried. "Father said I don't get another, either. It was his old one. Mother says he should get me one and I agree, but, you know, dads are hard about money stuff."

"I know," Zel nodded. "Xelloss had to guilt Rezo into giving me the keys to his old heap, and he couldn't even drive! Would your father object to my helping you out? A trade, say, for all the costume work you are doing for me?"

Sylphiel's face lit up, "Oh Zel! You're the sweetest! You'll come ask him? If I do, father will think I made you, probably."

"Yes of course I will," Zel agreed. He wondered what it was with girls and 'sweet'. Lina had called him a (gag) 'sweetie pie' and now he was the 'sweetest'. He wanted to be tough, thoughtful, but tough. Not sweet. He reached for a soda-- no too sweet, make it an iced tea, plain no sugar-- and blundered into Amelia.

"Oh, sorry Mr. Zelgadiss! My fault. Clumsy old me!" Amelia sounded overly bright, distant, and formal.

"It's all right, I wasn't looking where I was going either." Zel looked down, trying to catch her eyes. "How are you?"

His soft tone sent a shiver through her. "Me? Okay! Just fine." She glanced over the heads. Her daddy was deep in conversation with 'the mouse', Kiki's father. "I miss everyone... you," she whispered. "I really made a fool of myself the other night. I'm so sorry I put you in that terrible position. It was a mistake, one of many I made."

"You really surprised me, in lots of ways," Zel admitted. "I never would have believed you would do something like that, but," his turn to scan for the man, "I thought it took a lot of courage." He wanted to say more. Did he have a chance? He leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "You were very beautiful," then pulled back, spun around, and took off, blushing furiously and cursing Xelloss for having put the notion in his head to tell her such a thing. He should know better than to listen to him. Look at the mess he's got himself into, AGAIN!

Amelia's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Had Zelgadiss just complimented her? Yes he did. He didn't hate her; he had just said several nice things to her, with no rebukes. Had it all been worth it then? Yes, absolutely! Yes, even if her current freedom was being curtailed, it was worth it.

"You look the happiest I've seen you in many weeks," her father commented from behind her.

"Yes, Daddy. Thank you for letting me see all my friends like this tonight. I missed them."

Phil replied, "Next, we must help your friend, Kiki. There's a problem here that must be resolved."

"We must see that justice is served!" Amelia cried out.

"For justice!" both father and daughter shouted together with a clap of their hands.

"What do you think that's all about?" Filia nudged Lina.

"I dunno, but I hope it means I get my band back."

School? Lina couldn't have told you what color they'd repainted the main hall over winter break. Her mind was elsewhere. Several elsewheres. After the Sunday band performance (without Amelia), which had been another success financially, it was back to classes again until the weekend trip. Amelia's presence was still uncertain for that, but Joey was on board. Lina's meetings with Xelloss concerning the musical had been productive. Her to-do list was growing, but the items were more detailed, like: secure theater for rehearsals, dance practice for everyone, lighting–Rodimus?

And on and on.

Then there was the other problem. The new problem. Whatever was going on with Xelloss and Kiki, he was keeping it to himself; that is, ever since she'd tried to pry it out of him that first time at her house.

"So, you're going through with it?" Lina put in the CD of musical numbers. It was time to finalize the timing of the dance routines with her finished dialogue.

"By 'it', you mean 'marriage'? Yes, unless–" But then he didn't finish. He had almost revealed something of importance. "I honor my commitments," he finished instead.

"Right. Over Candy that fast?"

"Is it Candy you're asking about?"

"Well, yeah..." Lina realized he was referring to her and blushed. She took a step backwards.

"I'm quite fickle, it seems," he said coolly stepping toward her.

"You didn't use to be."

"Things change."

Lina shook her head. Her back was up against the living room wall. Things might change, but his nature didn't. That woman, Kiki's mother had something on Xelloss, and was using it to control him. Why? Well, to get at his inheritance, of course. Lina always thought in greedy terms, which is why she was so often correct in her analysis. And, since she knew he would not tell her his secret, she was going to have to go through Val and Zel.

One more step and she could feel his breath on her face. He leaned forward, bracing his arms on either side of her head. He searched her face for something– consent, approval, condemnation? Out of the corner of his eye he could see her hand clenched in to a fist.

He smiled, sighed, and pulled away. "Not worth the effort."

_What?_ "What's not worth the effort?" Lina snapped. _Boy, he'd better not be thinking I'm not!_ Whether she wanted his attention or not, her pride knew no bounds.

This time he laughed aloud. "What? Why you, Lina! I don't need to add your reprisals to my other problems right now. I may be messed up, but I'm no masochist! Come on, let's go back to..."

"Hold on. Are you rejecting me?" Lina was steaming up. She reached out and grabbed both his forearms.

"No, I'm not even trying, Lina." His voice grew husky. Instead of pulling away, he hesitated and looked away.

"You're...you're trembling. You're afraid of me?" Lina asked surprised and pleased at the same time.

A chuckle rumbled from his chest as he shook his head in the negative, "Oh...my...Lina..."

A tiny frown creased her brow. Insulting her intelligence now?

Feeling her ire rise, Xelloss grew serious and cleared his throat. His eyes lost their humor and glistened wide and deep. "I'm ah...trembling with excitement, not fear. Anticipation, suspense, hope...but not fear." His face softened and he caught her eyes with his. He added simply, his voice low and thick, "You thrill me."

Lina's mouth fell open. She was nearly weak-kneed at his admission; immobile as he leaned in close again, eyes closed. Outside, a car door slammed shut. Luna coming home. What he'd said was about as corny a line as she'd ever read in cheap romance novels-- Sylphiel's books which she had 'looked at', not hers, of course. However, the way he'd said it, and meant it, gave her goose bumps. A little tingle of excitement stirred the air between the two friends. Who'd back off first, or make a move? Only seconds to go before Luna walked in that door... Who'd show fear and give up before her sister walked in?

Luna opened the door. The next song on the CD began its introductory guitar riff.

Xelloss re-opened his eyes and slid Lina's hands from his arms to his hips, then placed his firmly on her hips. "Three steps forward, pause four counts, three back and pause. On a count of one, two, three, and four..."

Luna dropped her bag and watched the dance practice in progress. They were good together. Xelloss made everything they did appear effortless, which it probably was for him, while Lina was nearly bursting with energy emanating from her petite body. Luna watched with fascination until the song concluded. Xelloss had swept Lina off her feet to the side, partly onto his back, and now she was slinking down to the floor, their lips nearly meeting when her motion ceased.

"Go on...kiss her you dummy!" Luna taunted him.

But he didn't. He straightened, steadying Lina in the process and smiled. "Can't do that, I'm afraid, my knight. Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm practically a married man." He smiled and bowed to the confused Luna. "So, my work here is done. See you tomorrow, Miss Lina!"

He danced out the door before Luna had the opportunity to cross examine him. So she launched into Lina instead. "What did he mean by that?"

"I guess it skipped my mind," Lina said with a bored expression. "Somehow Xelloss is engaged to that girl from France...Kiki again."

"You are pulling my leg. I don't like that!"

Lina cringed. "It's true! He is! Although, he's not too crazy about it. I think he's being forced into it by her parents for the-gods-know-what reasons. Val and Zel are working on him for info."

Luna was appalled. "Marriage isn't a game! It's about a serious commitment of two people for life!"

"Save the lecture for him. I'm not the one getting engaged. If you run, you might catch him at the bus stop." Lina turned off the music. "I've got studying for finals tomorrow," she said and left the room. "I'm not getting involved."

At first, Xelloss was the picture-perfect boyfriend. They sat together at lunch each day her first week back at Seyruun High. He'd walk Kiki to her next class, holding her hand and carrying her books. It was sweet, in a way. She was the envy of many a girl. After that, he'd leave with Lina and work on the musical, maybe return for Japanese class and then walk Kiki home. From there, he'd bus to his own home. He was very attentive.

He called on her one day at home, and took her for a walk around his favorite old neighborhood and to the park, in the rain. They shared an umbrella, his arm around her shoulders holding her close. Very chaste and sweet.

One evening, he brought her over to his house. It was a cold, clear night and they sat outside on the rock wall by the hot tub and counted the stars until their limbs began to grown numb with cold. So romantic. Ah, young love!

"So, he tell ya anythin'?" Val asked Zel in the kitchen as the couple outside was star gazing. "Lina's been leanin' on me for some in-for-ma-shun."

"No, and I haven't asked." Zel met his golden-eyed gaze. "Lina is bothered by all this? I thought she'd be happy to have him off her case."

"Not if it's somethin' syndicate re-la-ted. This sounds like a contract."

Zel nodded. "But he's not a part of that so how could he have entered into a contractual arrangement?"

"How 'bout when he promised that little girl the first time?"

"Oh..." Zel looked serious. "Zelas was furious that he'd attached himself to Kiki. I remember at the time wondering if he'd done it more to get her mad than for that ill-conceived contest of ours. But I thought that ended when Zelas contacted Kiki's parents."

"Wonder how contracts get closed out?" Val mused.

"Someone dies, or it's carried out."

"Think he was old enough at the time to have made a contract with that little girl that Zelas couldn't break?" Val asked.

"Possibly, but I must be missing something here. Kiki was too young, surely, to have made a contract stick, so her parents... Why would they have wanted her to marry Xelloss? Why do they now?"

"Lina'd say 'money'," Val supplied. "I'd say money and mebbe a threat against 'em."

"How did they figure Xelloss had money? Zelas wouldn't have let that slip if she didn't want them to marry. Xelloss wouldn't have said a thing. So how?" Zel shook his head. "That's the question then. Who got Kiki's parents to want them to get married and so make his original proposal into a binding contract?"

"I dunno. I don't know if he knows either."

Sighing, Zel added, "I'm not even certain we're right, but it would help to know. It might give us some insight into how we're going to help him break the contract."

Val flipped a wedge of green hair out of his face. "We gonna do that?"

"We're going to do something, if he'll let us."

"What if he wants to marry the kid? They look cool with the whole idea."

"Then...we'll make sure first. Ah, they're coming back in," Zel warned and turned the page of his chemistry book. "But they're not."

"C'mon, just call and ask. That way you can keep me safe from all the fan girls. It's just the one night and you're not staying in a room with me– banish that awful thought!" Xelloss laughed. He handed Kiki his cell phone, punching her number code. "There, now just say...'Mama, can I go to the beach with the Slayers this weekend? I'll be staying with Amelia, Filia, Sylphiel, and Lina. And Xelloss promises...' Ah...what do I promise? Not to...ooooh, sounds too negative. How about I promise to make sure you're happy?"

Kiki was alternatively pushing his hands away from an encompassing embrace and shushing him in order to make the call. "Shhh, allez-vous-en...go away! Oh, bonsoir..."

"Or, I could get us our own room..." he teased.

She blushed and turned away chattering in French to one of her parents.

Zel looked up as Xelloss fell into a chair next to him. "Aren't you pushing her a bit hard?"

"How do you mean?" Xelloss returned.

"This time last year, she was too young to date. She's not a college girl."

Xelloss rolled his eyes, "Zelgadiss, protector of ladies' virtues. Aren't you the righteous one?"

"Nothing wrong with treating girls with respect."

"Cir-cum-spect in your case," Xelloss smiled.

"They're people. You used to think so, too," Zel insisted.

"Yeah, well just wait. Once you get close and open your heart to them, they'll rob you blind...just tear it out and make you come begging for it back. Once you lose your own self-respect over one, you start re-thinking girls and maybe you just use them back." Xelloss stood up to go after Kiki.

"You are so screwed up," Zel said to his retreating back. "You're logic is faulty because you just came out of a bad breakup and you are hurting. Why not just give it rest for a few weeks? Kiki's a nice kid. So were you not so long ago."

Xelloss looked back over his shoulder and smirked, "I tried 'nice'. It didn't get me what I wanted. So now...? I'm trying something else."

Zelgadiss started to rise and continue his argument, when Val stopped him. "Let him mouth off, if that's all it is, and I think it is."

"They said 'yes'," Kiki said as she handed Xelloss his phone back. "I hope Amelia can come too."

Xelloss smiled as he said something inaudible into her ear, then led Kiki to his room and closed the door.

Zel sank heavily into his seat at the table and opened his book again. They both pretended to concentrate on their homework for a few minutes.

Finally, Zel sighed, "Finals. You know, when these are over, he and I are done with high school. Sure, we'll do the musical, but we're doing that for Lina, really."

Val nodded. "So, that's what...Japanese and Lit finals?" He could see that Zel was really bothered by what had just occurred, but if he wanted to talk about something else, well...that was okay by him.

"Yeah, nothing for the computer lab and the math and science at the university were done before break...different schedule."

"Congratulations then. I'll take ya both out ta celebrate when yer done. Never did get to that pool game before."

Zel smiled, "Sure thing."

Then they heard Kiki shrieking.

Xelloss had closed the door behind him. "Come here. Sit down. It's time I told you a few things about me." He settled himself onto his neatly made bed, plumped a pillow behind his head, and patted the empty place at his side. He could see that Kiki was nervous and unsure. "Come on."

"Can't we do this someplace else?" she asked as she edged closer.

"Nooooo." He smiled. She was a head-strong girl, he remembered. "Just sit. There are people you should be afraid of, but I'm not one of them." He waited her out. Hers had been a very sheltered life and her experience with men was nil. Shy and innocent was more Zelgadiss' type, he decided as he waited a bit longer. _Yes indeed... older girls really do suit me better. _

Seeing that he was patiently giving her the opportunity to think it over, she slowly relaxed and rested on the edge.

"So what are you so anxious to tell me, Xelloss Metallium?"

"You really know next to nothing about me. I thought I should tell you a few things," he began. He gave her a brief version of his life and how it was interrelated with both Zel and Val's. "Take the principle at your school, Grauscherra. From what we've been able to piece together, he's with the syndicate with orders to seek us out and eventually kill us, us being the Slayers."

"Non..."

"Oh_, yes_, and he is Zelgadiss' uncle, although the two haven't introduced themselves to one another that way. Ah, Zelgadiss' accident was an attempt on his life to stop him from inheriting both the Red Priest's property but a bit of the Grauscherra Dynasty's as well. Why? Because his mother wouldn't play the game and got offed, and he, the infant boy lived on, and they finally had a chance to get him again. He was in line for power and money, and not under the syndicate's control. They failed on their next attempt but he was changed forever– the chemical burns and all. They just tried again last week in Rezo's laboratory, but this time it was a different organization that tried to recruit him."

"Another? So confusing..."

"Another-- led an aunt of mine." Xelloss stopped and thought about what to say next. "Val. Scary looking guy, huh?"

"He's tough..."

"He could have been all refined like Filia, had his mother not had the bad luck of being taken in by Gaav. Oh, yes...another syndicate guy, but a renegade one who had parted ways with the main group and had started his own second-rate organization. What he did to Val is not as visible as Zelgadiss' scars, but he was very nearly ruined. Gaav was my first stepfather and he marked me..." Xelloss' voice faded away.

Kiki was looking at Xelloss wondering what to say. He had been telling her a few things about the syndicate throughout the week, but the family facts were too confusing for her to follow. She was totally unprepared for what was about to happen. He hopped off the bed and began pacing while continuing to talk.

"But it was my mother who was tired of waiting for me to become a worthwhile syndicate recruit...I ah...have a chemical imbalance in my brain which makes me...different. It's called ADD. Anyway, so I was damaged goods so my mother wanted me either killed or put away...so when my dance instructor took a special interest in me...she bought him off and used him to destroy me...my ah...second stepfather, by the way." He paused to pull off his sweater and straighten out his t-shirt.

"The syndicate destroys people. Everyone it touches becomes spoiled or broken in some manner. Me included. I'm telling you all this because you are being used, we both are. Someone got to your parents and scared them or made them promises...some kind of a deal if they made you hold me to this...this sham of a marriage. You don't want it, and I _certainly _don't! You must help me find out who's behind it."

"But Xelloss, I have _tried_! They tell me _nothing_! They say you built that house and gave to me, for me, as a proof that your proposal was still real. They say you have money, but I see that you live so ...how you say...? Frugally! They said you were after my money...the family estates and vineyards but your mother called and cleared that all up... a deal was made, I guess. I had to sneak and listen in on their phone calls to learn that much. I can't go against what they want."

"You are afraid of your parents? Oh, Kiki...you are not afraid enough of the syndicate. Marrying me would be just the start of your suffering. No you don't understand what they can do..." He was staring at her intently, and then, when he was certain he had her full attention, he ripped off his t-shirt revealing the horribly scarred skin on his chest and back.

And Kiki couldn't help herself. She screamed.

"Huh?" Val snapped to attention.

Zel jumped over the table, bolting out of the kitchen and banging open Xelloss' door before Val stood up.

Xelloss felt time stop. He had the luxury of time on his side. He caught Zel's eyes as the angry blues flashed a warning his way, then he saw something else.

"Leave her alone," Zel growled. He had stationed himself between Kiki and Xelloss.

"I wasn't touching her," Xelloss said, keeping his voice low and raising his hands palms out in a non-threatening manner. Yes, he's seen that look in Zel's eyes before.

Zel turned to Kiki who had covered her mouth with her hands and trying to breathe normally. "You all right now?"

She nodded, "T-those markings...I...t-they...are..."

Zel patted her gently on the back. "Yes, they are terrible. He had no business scaring you that way. Xelloss, I'm taking her home." He stared at his bizarre friend, daring him to stop him.

Yes. Recently, when Zelgadiss was hoping to save 'Rubia', Xelloss had seen that expression in Zel's eyes before. Before, that, too. Yes, he had seen Zel look that way before. Passionate. Sometimes Zel allowed his passions to surface and show. Zel did care about others, besides his closest friends. Zelgadiss did 'fall in love' and he loved to save damsels in distress. Mr. Denial... could it be that he liked Kiki more than anyone might have guessed? Xelloss smiled. Yes, Zel had liked her last year right after meeting her. Lavender was her favorite color...

"Xelloss! I said–"

"That's fine. I understand. Go ahead. I," Xelloss swept her face with his purple gaze. "I only meant to show her what the syndicate does to people. Good night, Kiki. Zelgadiss will take good care of you," Xelloss added quietly and turned away.

"All right then...Do you have everything you brought? Good. Ah...out the front door then," Zel muttered, now self-conscious about his show of emotions.

A Passion for Fishing

"Finals are over and we have what amounts to a three-day weekend at a resort at the beach!" Lina yelled as the van rolled past the outer limits of Seyruun.

"Not to forget, Lina-darling, we have to work most of the time," Filia added with a smile.

"Yeah, but I get out of a basketball game where our team was gonna get creamed!" Joey shared.

Gourry peered out from under his long shaggy bangs. "If Mom had known ya had a game, ya wouldn't be here."

"Yeah, well, I didn't tell her. You didn't either!" he was quick to add.

"That's 'cause when Xelloss called ya ta ask, we didn't think Amelia would be coming an' it was real important that you did."

"So, now I'm here and I ain't goin' back."

"No one's saying that you have to," Lina chipped in. "Band beats a game, right?"

Joey grinned her way. "Yeah, what Lina says is right. Lina's co-ol."

"Oh gods," Filia exclaimed a bit too loudly. "Another one's fallen under her spell."

"Who's that?" Kiki asked.

She and Amelia were sandwiching in Zelgadiss in the middle seat, behind Filia in the front beside Zolf who was driving. Lina, Gourry and Joey sat in back. Val, Sylphiel, and Xelloss volunteered to ride with Rodimus and the equipment so that it wouldn't be too crowded. Zel had offered to join them instead of Sylphiel, but for some reason, Xelloss insisted that he stay instead 'for balance', whatever that meant. In any case, the van carrying the gear was running a few minutes behind the other one.

Zel looked over his back at Joey. "Joey's known Lina all his life. She'd play soccer with him, before Gourry noticed her. They were about the same size."

Kiki smiled and winked at Amelia. "Oh, I _see_. Filia thinks little Joey is here to be near Lina. It might be so."

"More likely than all that about _basketball_," Amelia snickered.

Zel closed his eyes. "Does _no_ one ever listen to what I have to say?"

Kiki poked at him teasingly. "But of course! Now say something really deep and philosophical!"

He opened one intensely blue-green eye. Amelia tensed. She knew how he hated to be teased. He didn't like being touched either. He would probably clam up the rest of the trip.

However, to her surprise, he smiled a quirky half-smile and recited a quote, "Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities."

To which Kiki wittily replied, "That was Aristotle! I studied him. We had to learn Greek in school, too. Let's see...he also said 'Man is a political animal', which is a great truth, I think."

Zel sat up and partook of a philosophical discussion the likes of which Amelia had never known. How odd...but refreshing! Amelia joined in. She knew her civics and politics and could trade quotes with the best of them. In this way the miles flew past: Lina, between the two brothers competing, knowingly or not, for her attention and approval; Zel between the two girls competing, knowingly or not, for his attention and approval. Yeah, the trip was just dandy.

"Stop here!" Lina demanded. "It says 'We serve the freshest fish in the world'. I'll be the judge of that!"

Zelgadiss stood outside the restaurant calling Rodimus in the other van. He gave him instructions for finding the restaurant, and then turned to go in. That's when he noticed the sign on the door. 'Catch your own. Reserve your place on a boat today!' He wondered if Lina had seen that, and hoped she hadn't.

She had.

"We can go out in what...a half an hour and be back... Say! Yeah, you cowboy dude! You the guy in charge of the fishing trips? Yeah, if we wanna go now, how long will it take? We gotta gig at nine tonight."

"Good afternoon." The man Lina had addressed adjusted his pale cowboy hat, tipping it to the lady, and causing the fringe on his vest to sway. "Yes, I'm the owner of this establishment. Name's Ashford. Did I understand you correctly? You want to go fishing now? Well, I reckon I can arrange that and get you back before five o'clock. It's still winter. We don't fish in the dark." He was an older man than Zolf, who had just stepped back outside. He sported a short white beard and moustache, which he was twirling nervously between his fingers. He looked the girls over, probably hoping they'd just order burger and fries and go. "However, it's quite costly. You kids might not be able to afford it."

Then his eyes rested on the slight young man entering the room.

The proprietor smiled. "But...I can make a special exception for you."

"Eh?" Lina twisted around to see who he was addressing. "Zel? He's with us, so if you give him a deal, ya gotta give to all of us!" Lina demanded.

Amelia and Gourry, who had gone to the restrooms to wash up, entered the room. They were sharing a chuckle over some joke on their way back into the main entry. When they caught sight of Lina, Filia, Kiki, and Zel standing, Gourry asked, "We gonna eat here, aren't we?"

Ashford's eyes widened. More happy memories flooded his mind. With a sudden change of heart he declared, "Trip's on me. Come on kids, I'll teach you how to round up doggies...er...catch fish like professionals!"

Lina's eyes lit up. Free fishing trip! What an odd duck that guy was, but she wasn't about to argue the price now. "Hey, that's great, but we gotta wait for the others."

"No time, no time!" Ashford shouted. He shooed the entire group of outlandish-looking kids out the back door. "Must hurry if you want to get back before dark!"

"Go on," Zolf urged them. "I'll wait here for the others. We'll find something to do."

"Well, I'm not going on some nasty, smelly boat. I don't even eat fish!" Filia announced.

"I'll stay here with her," Kiki volunteered. "I get really seasick."

"Fine," Lina shouted. "Come on," she ordered Gourry. "That guy's already on the boat."

"But we didn't even get lunch yet," Gourry reminded her.

"Then we better get going and get this over with. It's 'all you can catch!' If we catch it, this guy'll cook it for us. That means the more we get the more we eat! And Zel, don't you even think of going back. You can swim, I know it!"

"It will be fun, Zelgadiss!" Amelia added cheerfully.

"Oh...joy..." Zel muttered as he was washed aboard with the happy crew.

"Arrrrr, me mateys. Now fer the open seas!" Lina intoned in her best pirate captain's voice.

"Well actually...we'll begin in the bay. Chances are, we'll catch plenty and not have to face the big briny. Mighty choppy today..." Ashford muttered to himself.

"Fine with me. So, where the nets?" Lina asked.

"Nets? Where's the sport in that? Start with poles!" Ashford tossed a fist full of fishing gear to Gourry, which tangled immediately in his hair.

"Yo!"

"Hello, Val...Xelloss...Sylphiel. Come on in and sit down. You can get lunch if you want."

"Yeah, sure. Where's everyone else?"

Zolf gestured toward the giant picture window. "You can rent a telescope and watch them fish on the bay."

Rodimus had found an empty table with a comfortable bench seat, stretched out, preparing to fall asleep. "Or you can borrow my binoculars."

"No thanks," Val smiled and settled in at a booth nearby with Filia and Kiki. "'Lo la-dies."

Val made Kiki a little uneasy. He was loud and crude and those studs and tattoos had to have hurt! But with Filia there as well, she felt safe enough.

Xelloss was speaking to a waitress and in a few minutes, he took a glass of water back out to the van. "Sylphiel got a little car sick on the trip here. I think she'd feel better if she got some fresh air, but for now she's resting in the van with the doors open," he explained to the others.

"Do you want to order lunch?" Filia asked him.

Xelloss shook his head. "I think I'll see how the fishermen are doing."

"Take Rod's binock's then," Val suggested.

"Ah...don't mind if I do..."

Filia watched him leave, and wondered how things were going between him and Kiki. "Is he ignoring you? Poor baby..."

"It's okay. I like him, but...I resent having to get married. He does, too."

Filia frowned. "So why do it? I don't get it!"

Nobody did.

"I can't say," Kiki murmured. "Please, don't be mad."

"I'm not mad, exactly, just... You know, he just got dumped by his girlfriend before you came back..."

Val interrupted, "Ah, if he wants her to know 'bout all that, he'll tell her."

"No, he wouldn't. Xelly will just grin and bear it. He leaves the messy stuff for us to tell. So, this other girl just ups and decides to marry her ex, leaving Xelloss hanging. And that came after the one before who used him to get Rezo's old lab notes. I mean, he's got a lotta good points, but he's a glutton for punishment when it come to girls."

"He told me about his life, some."

Val added, "He scared ya with all those scars, huh? I about lost it the first time I saw 'em."

Filia and Kiki both nodded in agreement, then Kiki said, "His face...it's so _beautiful_. You don't expect..." she shivered at the remembrance.

"Yeah, well," Filia wouldn't have called Xelloss _beautiful_, but if Kiki thought so, fine. "Zel looks even worse, I think, but after awhile you just see beyond all that and then..." Filia paused and smiled slyly. "Then you're stuck with nerd-one and geek-two."

Kiki giggled. "That's good; I like stuck! I like them both! Zelgadiss is very fun to talk to. He knows so much. And, his eyelashes are so long."

"Huh? He doesn't have any," Filia insisted, although she tucked away that bit of information for further thought. She likes Zelgadiss, does she?

"Oh, but he does! I can't say about the eye he keeps covered up, but his other one has them now. You wouldn't notice because you see him all the time and intentionally try not to stare at him, but I haven't seen him in many months. We sat side by side on the ride over, and I noticed."

"Well..."Val adjusted his black headband. He certainly hadn't. "...shit..."

Meanwhile, Xelloss had strolled out to the outdoor patio seating for the restaurant. There were a few wooden tables under a tattered awning and a small green park beyond that. At the edge of the narrow grass lawn was one magnificent, low-branched tree. With little effort, Xelloss climbed up onto a tree limb to get off the cold, soggy grass. From his vantage point, and with the aid of the pair of binoculars he'd borrowed from Rodimus, he focused in on his ship-bound friends. A moment's observation was all he needed to feel content that he'd been left behind. "My, my...poor Gourry. That doesn't look like fun to me. They may have to cut some of that line out of your hair. Watch it Amelia! Don't yank it all out! Tough luck, Gourry..."

He chuckled and lowered the binoculars. A cool, damp wind stirred his loose hair. "Would you look at those clouds? I think a feel a change in the weather!"

"Is that you up there talking to yourself, Xelly?"

"Filia? My, how nice of you to come visit me!"

"Yeah, well, think what you like. Sylphie's feeling better and we're all thinking about ordering lunch so come in," Filia ordered.

"But it's so entertaining out here!" Xelloss smiled down at her. "We can eat over there."

Filia looked at the tables. "It's chilly, but I'm game. If that's what you want, than come in and tell the others yourself.

"O-kay, do-kay Filly-dear!" He jumped off the limb and landed quietly, all in a single fluid movement. "What are you looking at?" He raised a finger to his face.

She continued to stare closely at his face. "You shaving yet?"

"That's pretty personal, Filia."

"I was just wondering, that's all."

"About what? My personal habits? Or my progress to adulthood?"

"I was wondering what color it would be, that's all. Val won't tell."

"You think his beard is green?" Xelloss made a face. "Ooooh, I see what you mean. How dreadful! Well, what little I grow is dark like my eyebrows, but the sun might lighten it, I don't know and I won't either. I hate facial hair. When Gaav lived with us, he had a huge red moustache for short time. Zelas hated it, too, and made him shave it off. I remember it always seemed dirty...crumbs...beer suds..."

"That's gawd-awful!" Filia grimaced and waited as he held the door open for her to enter first. "Ugh, now I've got that image in my head...and right before eating, too! Xelly! I just hate you!"

Xelloss simply giggled in his odd way and followed her into the restaurant. He knew she didn't mean it, for a change. In fact, odd as it had been, he noted, that had been one of their easier conversations.

A few minutes later, the whole gang was outside on the patio seating.

"Here, let me help!" Amelia cried out. "Stay still, Mr. Gourry, so I don't hook you." She passed Lina one of the freed pole and lines. "You can get started, if you like." Amelia tugged at a particularly knotted mass. "Just a little more..." The hook broke free, but so did her grip on her purse. "Oh, no! My purse! Ooooh!" She watched it sail, a flash of pink against the gray background of sky and bay, and then it was gone.

Amelia scampered to the side of the boat and pointed down into the water. It looked like molten lead under the cloudy sky. "There it is! Floating still... Oh Mr. Zelgadiss, how do I reach my purse?"

"I'll try fishing it out," he said. Taking one of the poles, he let out some line, and lowered the hook to the surface. "Too light-weight..." He bent far over and stretched out his arm.

"I'll hold you, so you won't fall!" Amelia hugged him about the waist, anchoring him in place. "Have you got it?"

"...push..."

"What was that?" Lina shouted down at him "Push what?"

"...over... almost...each..."

"Can you hear him?" Lina asked Gourry.

"He wants somethin' pushed over."

"I'm guessin' not this..." Lina courageously removed Zel's wallet from his back pocket. "Over he goes then!"

And with a push, Zel headed for the sea.

Down,

down

went Zel.

"Miss Lina?" Amelia looked back up from the rippling surface. "Is he going to come up? "

"Sure, as soon as gets your bag. Don't worry 'bout him. Now, where did that other pole go...?"

Amelia peered over the edge watching the tiny rising bubbles. "Shouldn't we throw him a float?"

"He's a great swimmer these days," Lina began.

Xelloss had returned to his outpost and resumed his surveillance of the ship-bound friends. "Oh, my...what are you up to now? Careful...careful, Amelia. Watch the purse. Ah well...it's gone now."

"What's gone?" Filia called up to him. "What are you looking at?"

"The fishermen."

"_Fishermen_? Can you actually _see_ them out there? Are they catching anything?" Kiki popped up as well.

"It is hard to say," Xelloss answered with amusement in his voice. "Gourry so far has caught his hair in the fishing line. And, ah...Zelgadiss just jumped, or fell, overboard in an attempt to retrieve, or fish for, Amelia's purse. Now, he'd better find a way to get back on deck, or Zelgadiss will catch a cold. Plenty of 'catching' going on, but none of it likely to end up on a plate."

"Water's cold," Gourry remembered and tore a doughnut-shaped float from its moorage at the side of the boat. He waited a moment more for Zel's head to pop up, and then called. "Hey Zel! Grab this!"

Followed immediately by Amelia's happy shout, "My purse!"

Now, Zel trusted Gourry, but he was unable to see a thing– the purse was resting on his head, the handle dangling over the single eye not covered with matted hair. "Ah!" Zel gasped for air the moment the float hit the water sending a wave into his open mouth. "Gah, ha ach..." he coughed, grappling with the buoy.

"Be careful, Zelgadiss! Don't lose my purse!"

With whatever ounce of attention he could spare, Zel ripped off the vision-obscuring bag and flung it as far as he could. The small pink bag with the white faux-fur trim flew high into the air, skidded across the deck, and then was fortunately stopped from reentering the water by a coil of rope.

"Hurray!" Amelia cheered.

Xelloss chuckled, "Ho, Ho!"

"Now what! Give me those binoculars so I can see!" Filia demanded.

"Go get your own, or listen."

"Tell us!" Kiki and Sylphiel both squealed excitedly.

With a condescending smirk aimed at Filia, Xelloss continued. "Okay, our hero, Zelgadiss, has saved the purse, but who is going to save him? Some strong young man might haul him up if he had the wit to pick up that rope I see... Oh, and here comes Lina! I hadn't been following her progress up to now. Oh, well I stand corrected. Lina has caught a fish, considered eatable by most right-thinking people."

Filia, the sole vegetarian in the band, cast about for a large rock or stick to knock him off his perch.

"Yeah!" Lina shouted, but for a different reason. "Hey, Gourry! I caught a fish using a hook full of your hair!"

"You did?" Gourry's attention was diverted from Zel's plight to Lina's triumph. His hair? When had she-?

"Hey!" Zel shouted, finding his voice at last. "Get me out! Gourry! Damn you anyway! Gourry!"

Amelia waved her purse in the air and smiled down at him, "Thanks!"

Bobbing up and down, his clothes glued to his skin, Zelgadiss looked like the miserable wretch he was. He sighed and shivered. "Get Gourry over here to pull me up! Make that before I freeze!"

"Okay, I will!"

But Gourry was having problems of his own. "Oh, no. Please, Lina...no. It don't work that way."

"Sure, just jump in and the fish will be all over you. You didn't see it, but they really went for your hair."

"Mr. Gourry! Zelgadiss needs you to pull him out before he freezes!"

Relieved to have an excuse to distance himself from a crazed Lina, Gourry let Amelia drag him to the far side of the boat. "Ahoy there!" Gourry waved. "You gotta a rope?"

Zel frowned with his one visible eye. "Does it look like I have a rope? Where would I have gotten a rope?"

"What's happening now?" Sylphiel squinted out to sea, but could only spot a blurry dark speck.

"I can't make out what's up with Lina. She's excited about her fish and seems to want something from Gourry."

"What about poor Zelgadiss?" Kiki cried out.

"Things don't look so good for our hero, I'm afraid. Gourry, our devoted knight-in-shining-armor, managed to throw him a lifesaver, but now he seems torn between saving him and serving Lina."

A dark shadow passed below Zelgadiss, then was lost under the boat.

"I got one!" Gourry shouted, holding the rope high over his head for Zel to see.

"Hurry..." Zel urged him. "There's something big out here..." He looked frantically side to side. A knotted end of rope hit him in the back of the head. "Ugh!"

"Hold on."

Zel wrapped the unwieldy rope around the floating ring securing it with a slip knot, then gripped the free end with a numb hand. "Ready!"

"Ah, good news! Gourry got a rope to Zelgadiss and both are busy tying ends to objects, hopefully Gourry' is unmovable. You can never tell with him..."

"Xelloss!" Sylphiel shouted up at him. To make certain he stopped poking fun at Gourry, she slapped the ankle of his freely dangling leg.

Lina stomped over. "What are you up to Gourry? You should be helping me get some fish, not..."

"But there's somethin' big down there," Gourry pointed out as the huge shadowy creature of the deep swiftly swept the area.

Lina's eyes went huge as the dinner plates she imagined might hold a couple of steaks craved from such a beast. "Hey! Ashford! Get over here! What's that big thing in the water?"

"Gourry?" Zel's voice was plaintive. "What's going on? Pull me up!"

"Why that's a Lake Dragon shark!" the man shouted from the pilot's cabin.

"Is it good to eat?"

"Well, yes, but it's a nasty bugger to catch. I'm headin' us out past the jetty to the open water and try an' lose it." Ashford revved the motor and let out the throttle.

"Whoa, Zel!" Gourry yelled tightening his grip on Zel's line. "Hold on!"

"Ahhhhh!"

Xelloss sat up sharply, hitting is head on a limb. "Ouch! There seems to be another problem... or opportunity, depending on what end of the rope you are on, I suppose..."

"Don't be obtuse, Xelloss!" Filia snapped.

"They-who-are-safe-and-dry-on-deck have been pointing with great fervor at something which appears to be swimming in the water with our hero. Yup! Lina's making her demands known. Their captain is taking her wishes to heart and is now taking to the high seas."

"What? That's insane! Isn't Zel in the water still?" Filia screamed.

Val, hearing this, decided to get closer to the action. "Gourry pulled him out, right?"

"No, no our brawny boy scout did not, has not. The ship is heading out at right good clip, dragging Zelgadiss along."

"Oh, no...I wonder why Zelgadiss wants to ride like that?" Sylphiel asked.

Giving her a long suffering look, Xelloss replied dryly, "Why indeed? Who knew he could water ski, or would want to at the end of a rope in his street clothes?"

Gourry hauled up a very, wet, cold, and angry Zelgadiss. He felt bad about having to wait so long to get him out of the water, but while the boat was moving, it had been all he could do just to hold on to the slippery rope. Amelia found the tiny 'galley' and a few supplies to make him a mug of hot chocolate, while Gourry found him a towel and blanket. Zelgadiss, grumbling all the while, removed his sopping wet shoes, socks, jacket, and shirt. The pants would stay on, regardless. Wearing the thin blanket like a cape, he submitted to Amelia's ministrations in shivering silence, accepting the mug with a curt nod and, "Thanks...no tea?"

"No, I'm sorry, Zelgadiss. I found coffee, but I don't know how to make that, but this just called for hot water."

"It's all right."

Another wave rocked the boat, and Zel's arm, causing the drink to splash his hand. "Grrrr..."

"I'll go see what's going on!" Amelia cried out, and left the cabin.

"The boat's stopped. Ah...good. You will be relieved to know that Zelgadiss is safe once again aboard the boat. He's disappeared into the cabin for the time being. Amelia's with him. And now she's not."

"Maybe he found dry clothes to change into," Kiki surmised hopefully.

"That's...a possibility! Seems the winds picking up out there. Damned dangerous fishing weather..."

His further forecasting was interrupted by a young waiter.

"What can I get you today?" the waiter asked.

"I think I'll have the crab salad," Sylphiel said.

"Ah, We are out of crab today."

"Shrimp, then."

"Ummmm, sorry. No shrimp either."

"Fish and chips?"

"Actually, we have no fish at all."

"Huh? Why's that?" Val asked. "Strange fer a place ad-ver-ti-zin' it. I'll have a hamburger."

"Very good, sir. Um...There's this giant shark called a Lake Dragon that moved back into the bay this winter and it eats up or chases away all the fish."

Xelloss looked up. "Oh really? Is it dangerous to people?"

"Sure! It's huge! It could swallow a whole boat! Now, I can recommend the tomato bisque with sourdough bread and a green salad."

"I'll take that," Filia said.

Xelloss found nothing of interest on the menu. "I'll pass and eat later."

"If you'd like, I can arrange to have your lunches carried out here. I'll light the Tiki torches and you'll be toasty!" The waiter, pleased to have found some way to appear helpful to the kids, left the patio.

"We're hitting a little current here..." Ashford was explaining to Lina and Gourry.

"More like it's hitting us," Lina shouted into the wind which was whipping up their hair. "Gourry! Tie that hair of yours up before it strangles me...or you. So, Mr. Ashford, I thought you were going to teach us how to fish, but so far I'm the only one that's caught anything, and that was with an ordinary hook and Gourry's hair as bait. I wanna catch something worthwhile, and that big dragon shark is as good a fish as any– better 'cause it's bigger. But now you are trying to get away from it."

"Well, it scares off any fish it doesn't eat. Bad for fishermen. I don't see it now." Ashford cut the boat engines entirely. "Time for me to demonstrate the correct technique for lassoing bass..."

"He missed all of Lina's subtle signals," Amelia whispered to Gourry.

Gourry smiled and watched as the short girl made certain the man got her message using her more obvious gestures. Clenching the man by his skinny red tie, she nearly choked him as she yelled, "Bass my ass. Forget them. I wanna go after that monster fish, get that? What's the matter? You said they were good to eat, right? So, you gotta problem Mr. Fisherman? Don't you know how to catch one?"

Lifting her off the man's chest, Gourry bought Ashford a brief respite from Lina's wrath. When he could breathe again, Ashford answered, "Oh, no. I've been training to catch dragon sharks most my life!" His eyes misted over as he recalled his past, and then looking at Lina he said, "You remind me so much of my dear, sweet daughter. So energetic! I promised her I'd continue to hunt them down ever since one ate her...Well, you are so much like her."

Lina folded her arms. "I am?" She preferred to think she was unique. "Well, ah...so...how do we get started? I don't imagine you go fishing for those monstrosities with little poles like these?"

"No, absolutely not. You have to throw knives like these," he produced a box of assorted dangerous-looking knives of differing lengths and styles. "I'm an expert."

Lina could not imagine how you'd catch a fish that big by throwing knives at it, and decided that the man was wacky. She would have to do it her way.

"Ah... Couldn't we just fish for the little fish, Lina? It's all the same to me, and we got time to catch lots," Gourry suggested. "I'll take a turn with one of those fishin' poles." He stood with his arm outstretched, but Lina was now looking at him curiously. "Why're you looking at me, Lina?"

"I'm just thinking where to take off some of your hair. If the little fish go for it, I'll just bet the big one will too."

"Oh, Lina...no..." he begged, backing off.

"Looks like an agreement's been reached," Xelloss noted. "The boat is turning back. Lina wants a chance at that shark, you can bet!"

"Has Zelgadiss come out of the cabin yet?" Kiki asked. She sipped at her ice water. "Breadstick?" She offered Xelloss one.

"Thank you. What I don't understand is what it is that Lina wants Gourry to do. It must be pretty awful because he keeps shaking his head and running away from her, which is probably wise considering Zelgadiss' condition."

"True. Gourry has good animal instincts."

"Filia! Not you, too! That's like, so unfair to say about him!" Sylphiel cried defensively.

"Sorry, Xelliness is catching..."

"Speaking of Zelgadiss..." Xelloss said a bit louder. "I believe he's putting in an appearance at last."

Zel was feeling marginally better. He was no longer shivering and was partially dry. The cocoa boosted his energy level enough for him to recount the past few events. "Oh..." Then panic set in. He patted down his wet pants to be sure. "My wallet! Oh, gods...no...it's gone... My driver's license! University ID...high school! Oh joy...when do I have time to replace those? It's the weekend! Oh..." He sank into a pit of justifiable misery.

Then he noticed the boat engines were on full speed ahead, in the other direction. Back to the bay. "What the...?" He tightened the blanket around his shoulders, stood, and wavered out of the cabin, heading for the great outdoors.

"Thar she goes!"

"That's 'blows', but who's counting?" Lina muttered.

"But it's not blowing nothing! I mean, that dragon fish is over there!" Gourry pointed out. His vision was sharp due to not having ruined it by reading too much.

Amelia's 'Zelgadiss sense' cut in, alerting her to his presence in her vicinity. "Zelgadiss, Are you okay now? Miss Lina wants to catch that big fish. It's called a Lake Dragon shark and it eats everything!"

"Oh really..." Zel remarked in a detached manner. "By the way, if it is a shark, then it's not a fish."

"Sharks aren't fish? I didn't now that!"

"So, why do they call it Lake Dragon shark if it lives in the ocean?" Zel asked.

The cowboy-fisherman stopped the boat before answering. "They live in water where rivers wash into the sea, mostly back bays, estuaries. Story goes, they live in some lakes, but I wouldn't know. This one's been here a long time. When I first moved here, I had a ranch mile or two off. My dear granddaughter," he turned toward Amelia, "who you look so much like, was playing in the water. My daughter saw the terrible creature jump out of the water and snatch her away in his jaws!"

"Oh, how awful for you!" Amelia exclaimed.

Lina's eyes narrowed. "I thought you said your daughter was eaten by it."

A tear formed in the man's eye. "Yes, her too..."

"And you said I looked like her."

"Yes, just like my daughter." Ashford wiped his eye with his pocket handkerchief. "And you are the spitting image of my son-in-law."

"I am?" Gourry asked.

He nodded and blew his nose. "And you..."

"Don't tell me," Zel sighed.

"My beautiful wife..."

"Damn." Zel turned his back on them all and cursed his karma.

"But then, I studied hard under the best Lake Dragon shark killer of all time. I vowed to get my revenge someday. And I nearly did, once. But then...it just up and left. I started this restaurant and started fishing, hoping it would return and I would be ready. It's been back a week...and now...with you as my inspiration, I'll take it on with my own hands!" Ashford declared.

Lunch was delivered to the outdoor diners.

"Looks lovely," Filia said of her salad.

"Burger and fries, yeah," Val grinned her way.

"I meant _mine_."

"And _I_ meant _mine_," he returned, and then chomped into his hamburger.

Unfortunately, as good as it looked, the food from the restaurant was really bad tasting.

"Can I bring you something, Sir?" the waiter asked of Xelloss who had climbed down to examine the meals served.

"What would you recommend in a dessert?"

"Ah...the ice cream. It comes from town."

"What kinds?"

"Vanilla."

"Okay. Simplest is best."

"Bring me some, too," Val added, abandoning his cold, limp fries. Why disturb their greasy rest at the bottom of their basket?

Flinging her napkin over her nearly full plate of vile tasting greens dressed in catsup-like sauce, Filia also gave up. "One more here."

"Me, too!" begged Kiki.

"Oh...I guess one bowl won't be so bad," Sylphiel sighed.

The waiter beamed as he filled their water glasses. "Five ice creams, coming up!"

"So, what's happening on board the Good Ship Suckers-all?" Filia asked.

Xelloss snickered, "The salty cowboy has been weaving a tale of high sea adventure, I figure. Looks like that's about to come to a precipitous end."

"Here it comes!" Gourry had spied a curious wave making a bee-line directly toward their boat. When it had grown to nearly the size of bulldozer, he apprised his fellow fishermen of its impending assault.

"Eh? Geesh!" Lina gasped at the shark's enormity.

Amelia clenched Zel's arm in a vise-like grip. "Ahhhh!" she cried out.

Zel could only look on in amazement. He was swimming with...THAT!

"My gods! Even I can see that! Are they nuts?" Filia screamed. "Get outta there! Get Out of THERE!"

"Listen to Filia!" Kiki shouted.

"Oh! It's just too terrible to watch!" Sylphiel wailed.

"Xelloss! Think we outta try and help them?"

"Ah..."

The huge animal it the side of the boat with a resounding crash and splintering of wood. "There goes the skiff!"

"And all hope of escape..." Zel uttered with dismay.

"We need a distraction, something for it to focus on while I execute my 'Super sharp knife attack!' " Ashford announced.

"On it!" Lina shouted. "Gourry, time for our 'eat my hair' attack!"

"No, Linaaaaa...!" He was so concerned with keeping his feet on dry deck, he didn't notice when Lina removed his wallet, then his foot slipped and over he went.

All five kids were up and shouting from the shoreline. "Get out of there!"

Xelloss put the binoculars to his face and watched the show, close up and personal. "That thing's amazing! It just rammed the boat and tore up something. There's trash flying all directions. Whoa! That isn't trash! Gourry's overboard!"

"WHAT!" Sylphiel screeched in horror.

Gourry thrashed about until he got his head above water and put his lifeguard training to use, He started treading water before pulling a few strokes to bring him to the boat.

Zel dropped his blanket. "Grab it!" he shouted down at him as he tossed the handy 'rope with doughnut attached' over the side. "Although, you might be safer swimming to shore."

"That's the way! She's got you in her sights!" Ashford cried. "Watch it now, she's coming about! Heading your way. That's it; get your back to me!"

Indeed, Zel might have been safer had Gourry chosen to swim. As the rope uncoiled, a loop encircled his foot, tightened, and yanked him off his feet. "NO! Don't grab it!" he corrected, but it was, of course, too late.

Gourry already had the buoy around one arm and was pulling the rope taut. "Got it! You can pull me up now."

Right.

One more tug and Zel was doing another uncontrolled diving exhibition for the onlookers.

"There goes Ze-el..." Filia called out. She had nipped the binoks out of Xelloss' hands, now that he was out of his tree and standing close to her table. "Oooh, poor guy. Back in the water."

"At least Gourry's got company." Sylphiel was wringing her hands.

Lina considered her situation and drew another conclusion. It was time for her to take over. "Ashford! You good with a lasso? Yeah? Then, rope that baby! Slow it down and don't let it get away!"

"Yes!" he shouted and pulled a lariat out of nowhere. He tied a knot and looped up a rope, around and around his head, the loop enlarged and rounded out into a lazy 'o'. "For my wife and son-in-law!'" He let out a whoop and let'er fly in the direstion of the shark's gaping maw.

"That idiot roped the shark like a horse!"

"Lemme see," Val begged Filia for the binoculars. She batted his paws away.

"Oh, my gods! Lina!"

"What? WHAT!" Everyone yelled at her for more information.

"If yer not gonna let me look, give it back to Xelloss. He does good com-men-ta-ting."

"Thank you," Xelloss said with a nod as Val stole the equipment out of Filia's hands and crammed it back into Xelloss'.

"Va-al!" Filia was astonished that he would do such a thing.

"Now, now," Xelloss said. "No fighting while our friends are in peril."

"Got her!" Ashford yelled. "I'll rope 'er in close and hold 'er tight. You...go for brain...between the eyes!"

After choosing the largest knives she could find in his box, Lina, stashed her wallet collection into Amelia's arms, and then ran to the side. With a cleaver in one hand and a nasty looking carving knife in the other, she hesitated at the side of the ship long enough to locate the kill spot. That was one hellava big fish. And then she jumped before she lost her nerve.

"Lina! No! She jumped over! Lina's jumping onto the shark's back!"

"Yaaaahoooo!" she chortled as she hit the water and the slippery, firm flesh of the fish. Instantly, she was driving the longer blade past the resilient skull and then giving it a good hard twist for good luck. She winced at the sound of cracking cartilage. Using the embedded knife as a handle gave her the leverage she needed to go for the final killing stroke. She slammed the cleaver with all her pent-up- violent might past the brain case, splitting the monster's head open.

"A howling success! A dead-eye aim!" the crazy man shouted in triumph.

"You betcha!" Lina grinned.

"She did it! She killed it, I think."

But then, Lina's hands began to slip. Coated with gore, she couldn't keep her grip on the long knife buried to the hilt in the dying animal. The shark started to buck and twist in its death throes.

"Hang on! Ride 'er cowboy!" Ashford yelled. "Lemme get another rope 'round'er an' keep 'er still."

"Hurry then!" Lina gritted her teeth and desperately searched for a better hold.

"Oh no!" Sylphiel cried out. "It's starting to rain! Are they ever getting out of the water?"

Xelloss, silent, watched the battle with resignation.

"Well?" Filia slapped his shoulder.

Then he gasped and shuddered. "Lina!"

"WHAT!"

One failed attempt to secure her hold, one final spasmodic jerk from the shark, and Lina tumbled backwards into the water.

"Lina!" Gourry sputtered through a mouthful of tail-wake.

Releasing his hold on the float, Gourry pushed off Zel and with long smooth strokes, swam in the direction he'd last seen her. Zelgadiss was right behind him, tugging the float and rope along.

"Lina...she's..." Xelloss couldn't say 'covered in blood and tossed like a doll into the bay', he just couldn't. "...free of the shark. Gourry and Zelgadiss are swimming to help her out."

Gourry was a strong swimmer, despite being fully clothed and with twenty pounds of hair dragging him down. Another stroke and his fingertips felt Lina's back. "Lina!" He didn't wait for her response. He hooked a brawny arm across her torso, under her chin, pulled her onto his chest, and back stroked away free and clear of the roiling water.

Amelia and Ashford were busy topside. "Mr. Ashford. How can we get them back on the boat?"

He pointed out a large net. "Help me attach that to the hook there and the winch will take care of all the hard work. I use it for hauling in the big ones."

"Right!" Amelia was glad to be able to do something, although the large net was heavy and fishy-foul smelling.

Ashford ran out the line on the pulley, secured the net and yelled, "Can you tell them to look out for the net? I'll turn the boat."

"Aye, aye, captain!"

"Here!" Zelgadiss met Gourry partway with the float.

"Yeah," Gourry said gratefully using it to support Lina.

"Lemme go!" Lina snarled, lashing out at her rescuers. "I can swim."

"Okay, Lina." Gourry was reticent to release her, but he did when he was certain she had the float securely around her.

"Quit looking at me like that. I'm not hurt, just cold, wet and getting hungrier by the minute. Zel? What are you doing here? I thought you were topside."

Before he had to explain his ineptitude, Amelia's voice was heard overhead. "Heads up guys! Mr. Ashford's lowering a big net. He want's you to... oops!"

"Ah, Amelia to the rescue. Looks she's netted herself three friends today." Xelloss smiled with relief.

"They are going to be okay now?" Kiki asked. "I'm so glad. Won't they be tired and hungry when they get in? I hope they caught enough fish to eat because...they'll be very disappointed with the food here."

"Oh, my, then there's Lina..."

"I want that shark. Cooked. Now. Anyway-- all ways!" Lina demanded.

The kids had changed into dry clothes from their suitcases packed for their job. Lina and Gourry's hair needed shampooing, but that would have to wait until they had checked into their rooms at the resort. Now, it was time to satisfy their baser needs.

"Well, I can't do the shark today. My chef...I had to let him go. He only did fish and since there weren't any... But I can get him back tomorrow. Yes, I believe I can convince him to come in then."

"Tomorrow! But I wanna eat now! Gimme the crab pot. A whole pot!" Lina was adamant.

"You'd better get her somethin'," Gourry advised. He was shoveling down all the leftovers his friends had found inedible.

Amelia was tired and simply rested her head on the table. "I'll take some too..."

"Like I said, there's no fish...or shellfish. I apologize for that."

Ashford was sweating nervously, and so he reached for his pocket handkerchief again. This time when he pulled it out of his vest, a silver locket slipped out. While he was mopping his face, he didn't notice Xelloss kneel to the floor and retrieve the locket. No one else seemed to notice either.

"Bring on the ice cream!" Xelloss sang as he stood back up. "We'll have a barrel of fun!"

Lina wanted something of substance though. "But what about my stomach? I'll stay here all night! I'll–I'll wait for your damned cook! To hell with the performance tonight! Give me--give me my dragon shark cuisine!" she cried with desperation.

Gourry and Zel sent one another a silent message. "I'll take the feet," Zel sighed.

"No, no!" she wailed as Gourry picked her up and Zelgadiss handled his share and dutifully carried her away.

"Come on everybody. We better move on now," Filia said. "You too, Xelloss. Hey, what's that?"

Xelloss opened the locket and smiled. "Mr. Ashford dropped it. Look."

Filia peered over his shoulder, and then laughed. "That's really weird. Those people in the photograph look like Gourry, Lina, and Amelia."

"And the woman there. Don't you think she bears an uncanny resemblance to..."

"Zelgadiss!" Filia snorted and laughed. "What a scream! Let me show it to everyone!"

But Xelloss shook his head. "No, I don't think that would be a good idea." And he closed the locket and set in down on the table. "Let's go."

"So at least you all got back safely. No one was hurt seriously, right?" Amelia was trying to put a positive spin on the afternoon.

Zel shook his head. He had remembered his lost wallet. "I don't want to think about it. I don't know when I'm going to get my stuff replaced... You probably lost your wallet, too, Gourry."

"My what?"

"Wallet."

"Wallet?" Amelia perked up. "Oh! I forgot! Miss Lina had them all the time, but before she jumped to kill the shark, she gave them to me."

Zel's face lit up magically. "Ah! Whoooooeee!" He leapt for joy and danced around the parking lot, putting on a display the likes of they had never seen.

"What's got into Zel? Val wondered.

"I don't know," Lina muttered shaking her head. "But it had better get out before he gets into that van, or I'll kill him." She grinned and looked in Xelloss' direction. "One nutcase is enough."

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 37.


	38. On a Rainy Day

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 38 On a Rainy Day**

**_"To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue." -- a French proverb_**

* * *

Road trip

"So you like Kiki?"

Xelloss asked it so casually, Zel simply answered honestly. Also, having been swimming in frigid water much of the afternoon and slavishly playing guitar and singing late that night at a gig may have suspended his interest in mind-games as well. "Yes, why?"

"My brother's in love with my fiancé!" Xelloss announced gleefully. "Is _that_ soap opera material !"

"I didn't say 'in love'. I said 'like'; no, actually you said 'like'. I said, "Yes, why?'" Zelgadiss checked his watch. He was waiting for his turn at the shower. "Besides, I like lots of people...well, a few anyway." Zel fought back a blush, to no avail. "Stop looking at me that way."

Xelloss cheerfully complied. And shut his eyelids.

"All right, open your eyes, asshole." Zel knew when he was being baited, but rarely could handle Xelloss with aplomb.

Xelloss exploded in a riot of giggles. "Anyway I look at you, I see my best friend going for _my_ girl."

"That's _absolutely_ not true, and you _know_ it."

"Hey, it's perfectly okay with me, little brother! Take her! I wish you would!" More seriously, he added, "I wish you _could..."_

"Xelloss? What is it?"

"I wish I knew."

"Let me guess, somehow did you got a syndicate-style contract against you, forcing you to marry her."

Xelloss' eyebrows shot up. Zelgadiss' ability to see through to the truth of the matter was uncanny; at least it was to him. "Good guess..."

"Something leftover from the Zelas days, am I right?"

"Partially, maybe...I don't know. Kiki's doing some investigative work from her end. I think that Zelas called her folks last year to put an end to the engagement. Kiki's mother is a sharp opportunist. She most likely started wondering who Zelas was...or me...and did a little research on her own. I'm thinking that her investigations brought her into contact with another party who filled her in on my potential financial status. Suddenly, I became an overnight success...as a desirable attachment for their daughter. And thus I pay the consequences for another of my rash actions. You know, the betrothal I had made in haste to divert attention off Lina, transformed over time to became the current noose-about-my-neck."

Xelloss tossed that one out, hoping to head off his little brother should Zel want to start that lecture. But instead, Zel said, "Your aunt, that Deep Sea...person. I bet she's behind it."

"I thought about that. Hey, for a while there I was thinking she was Kiki's mother!"

"That...would be too convoluted, _even_ for your life. The question is, why would she get involved? Why would she care?"

"I was wondering 'why Kiki?' myself."

Zel looked at Xelloss. "Why indeed? So, Zelas calls Kiki's folks, tells them about their estranged little girl mixing it up with her deranged son..."

"A bit harsh there, Zelgadiss..."

"And demands that they force Kiki to break the engagement, because..."

"Because Zelas has other plans for me and my promise was as binding as any other syndicate contract. I would either have to marry her, die, or Kiki could release me."

"Right. Then either they said no or yes..."

"Or they would think about it."

"Right, in any case the matter was dropped."

"At least I thought so at the time," Xelloss ran a hand through his hair in a show of frustration.

"Right. Zelas may have learned something about Kiki's family that she liked and maybe the contract was kept, although it would have been nice to tell you that instead of letting you think it had been voided."

"Zelas and 'nice' do not belong in the same sentence. Or they learned about my money and kept the engagement intact, with or without Zelas' knowledge."

"Or..." Zel sighed, "Some third party interfered to mess up Zelas' plans."

"Or something _else_ we haven't thought of."

"There's that."

"Yes there's always the possibility of something else," Xelloss sighed as well.

Their eyes met. "I'll get you out of it. I promise you," Zel assured him.

Xelloss smiled, "So, you _do_ want her for yourself!"

"No, Xelloss. It's an act of kindness." He smiled briefly, and then with a smirk said, "I can't let a nice girl like her get tied up with the likes of _you_."

"Oh yeah, she'd be much better off with 'sweetie pie Zelgadiss'."

Not that nickname! Lina had called him that hadn't she? Xelloss had been busy with Luna, so he couldn't have heard... How did he know...? "Val...he didn't...I'm going to make him pay for repeating that."

"Well, here he comes. I can't wait to watch him paa-aay."

Zel slugged Xelloss in the arm. "Shuddup."

There were no hard feelings. These were just good-buddy high jinx.

"Yo." Val greeted them as he emerged from the adjacent bathroom.

"Yeah, I got dibs on this shower!" Xelloss announced, sitting up on the bed.

"All right. I can wait for the other one," Zel sighed but neither guy moved.

Val loped off to the room next door, and then returned half a minute later. "I'm done in there. Both showers are free. Gourry's out in our room, too."

Xelloss smiled and hopped off the hotel bed, "At last."

"Yeah, ya need it!" Val chuckled as he crashed on the other bed in the room which Zel had just vacated in his rush to the other room's shower.

"Sorry, I lose five pounds each performance in sweat alone, I think. Drums give me a real work out." Xelloss stripped and wrapped a towel around his waist. "Oh, nice hair by the way."

"Thanks, Filia trimmed it. She got me this con-di-shun-er shit she made outta herbs and it's all..."

"Shiny, soft, and more manageable!" Xelloss giggled, and then he disappeared into the bathroom.

"Val? You in here?" Gourry stomped through the adjoining doorway between the two rooms. Seeing that it was true, Gourry draped his hair towel around his shoulders and sank onto the empty bed without waiting for an answer.

He and Val drew lots as roommates, leaving Xelloss to share with Zel. The days of four-to-a-room were in the past.

"Fiss-ic-cally. My brain's fried though."

"You were deadly on the keyboards tonight. Crowd liked that dialog thingy you and Filia did before her solo. Her idea?" Gourry winced as his comb snagged in his knotted hair, knots he hadn't been able to free since the fishing trip. "Ow..."

"Yeah, she's bein' friendlier since..." Val looked down at his hands and grinned. He smoothed out a lump in the bedspread.

"What didya do?" Gourry prompted. He didn't normally try to weasel secrets out of his friends, but he could tell Val just needed a little encouragement.

"I...read her a poem I wrote 'bout her. Said all kinds of nice things in it, things I can't just say."

"Gotcha. I wrote a poem to Lina once kinda like that."

"She like it?"

"She didn't rip it ta shreds." Gourry met Val's eyes with a wry smile. "Gotta count for sumpthin'. Owwwch!"

In a moment of considerateness, Val said, "I got somethin' for that." He swung his legs off the bed. "Ya put it on yer hair wet and leave it there a couple minutes, then rinse it out."

Gourry gave him the blankest possible look. "Huh?"

"It'll make it slippery...so the snarls come out."

Gourry's eyes lit up. "Hair conditioner?"

Val felt like he was just barely communicating. "Yeah. When Zel gets out, I'll get it for ya."

"Zel...is out." Zelgadiss said as he walked into the room. He had the seven minute shower down pat.

Gourry was lounging on Zel's bed, and since Val was up and on his way to the other room, Zel hopped onto Xelloss' bed. "Ah...the smell of the sea will never be quite the same."

Gourry nodded. "I'll always think of that...dragon fish."

"Shark, yeah. And bay swill water... I think I've finally got it scrubbed out of my pores."

"Val's got somethin' for my hair. It'll never be the same. Why do ya think the fish went for it?"

"They were either starving or the color caught their eye," Zel said.

"Here!" Val lobbed the glass bottle to Gourry, who caught it, and then claimed the spot Gourry left open as the blonde visited the shower once again.

Val and Zel traded open stares at one another. "You look different," they noted simultaneously.

Val chuckled and fingered his hair. "No gel..."

Zel nodded.

"Your skin looks different."

Zelgadiss was shirtless after his shower. One outcome resulting from living with Xelloss and Val was that Zel was becoming accustomed to just 'hanging out' with other guys. "Yeah. Funniest thing. Ever since that spa trip, I've noticed..."

He was interrupted by a vigorous knocking at the door.

"'S'not locked!" Val shouted. "Awww, it's the chicks from down the hall."

Zelgadiss snatched a sweatshirt out of his bag and pulled it on. He was less comfortable showing his scarred skin around the girls.

"Peep, peep, peeeeep!" Kiki laughed and led the others in chicken imitations.

"Miss Kiki, you're good enough to be PULLET, the Palace Fried Chicken mascot. I hear they ha-have an opening." Amelia collapsed onto the floor gasping for air between laughing and choking.

"Move over," Filia nudged Val to the edge of the bed then perched primly on the other side.

Lina dove for the center. "I am soooo dead tired."

"Well don't die there. That is my bed," Zel pointed out to her.

Lina didn't move.

"Too bad Joey couldn't have played, huh?" Kiki asked her. "Come sit here with us. Ici!" She patted the floor and scooted apart from Amelia so Zelgadiss could fit in.

"Yeah, if I hadn't been on that stupid boat, I coulda talked his mom outta makin' Zolf drive him back home. Poor kid! Since when did coaches start callin' parents before games?"

"Since his star center was AWOL at the shoot-around in the morning," Gourry answered. He was trickling water from the tips of his hair-- flicking a fine spray of cold water with each step. "Joey hasta learn what he can and can't do."

"Yeah, and fooling your mom is in the 'can't' catagory," Amelia agreed. "Luckily, Daddy let me come, or we would have been in trouble." She smiled as Zelgadiss sank onto the floor where Kiki had made room for him.

"Not so. I disagree. Xelloss did a new song to cover for your solo last week. I mean, we missed you, you know that. We're just so-so background singers without your sweet voice. But the band wasn't in trouble." Filia didn't catch Amelia's expression; her attention was arrested by Gourry's frustrated attack on his hair. "Gourry let me do that. You're tearing it out and splitting the ends."

"Ah...I don't know..." He wasn't finicky about his hair like Xelloss was, but no female younger than his mother had ever combed it out. Lina, he could remember, had tied it back for him on several occasions, but that was mostly to get the damned stuff out of the way.

"Oh, let her untangle the mess!" Lina said with an exasperated tone in her voice.

As Filia got off the bed, Lina secured a pillow and made herself more comfortable– face down and eyes closed.

"Okay." The busy day had finally worn down Gourry too.

Filia dug through the tote bag she'd brought with her, and then joined him on the other bed, Xelloss' bed. "I'll trim the ends while I'm at it. Hey, don't be such a baby about this! I won't touch the bangs if you want to keep them shaggy; that's your business. I'm working with the long ends and the knots. You guys are all so sensitive... Hmmm...smells familiar."

"Val gave me this to use on it." Gourry showed her the bottle of hair conditioner.

"Good boy!" she said Val's way.

Val smiled, pleased to have done something right, but then looked away. _Don't wanna look too needy_!

"Here's where everyone went!" Sylphiel took in the scene from the hall doorway. She and Amelia had been the last to use the girls' shower, but her longer hair was a real ordeal to take care of and had made her the only remaining one in her room. "Ooooh! You're, like, fixing Gourry's hair!"

Gourry shrank back. He remembered then that it was Sylphiel who had put his hair into pigtails with buns!

"Yeah, but hands off. He's all mine tonight. Isn't that right, G-bo?" Filia leaned into him, blonde hair blending with blonde.

"Uh, huh..." Gourry agreed. Better Filia than Sylphiel messing with his hair.

"Where's Xelly?"

"Shower." Val filled Sylphiel in. "In fact..." His eyes scanned the room and settled on Xelloss' bag in the corner, kimono resting on top, dirty clothes piled nearby where he'd dropped them. "Why doncha take him his kee-mo-no?"

She actually got as far as picking it up, before she thought about what she was doing. "Va-al!"

"Heh, heh... Well, you were up!" Val chucked. "Guess it's your job, Ki-ki."

Kiki blushed, "I don't know..."

"Val, just get up and take him some clothes before he comes out." Zel sighed.

Val was grinning and shaking his head. "I ain't givin' up my comfortable lo-ca-shun. And Gourry's gettin' his hair done."

The shower shut off.

"Better hur-ree..." Val added unnecessarily.

"Damn him anyway," Zel grumbled. "Why can't he just carry his clothes into the bathroom and get dressed in there like everyone else?"

"Like you, maybe. Not me. Not him. 'Though... I sus-pect he would've taken more than a towel if he'd known he'd have an au-di-ence." Val continued ragging on Zel even as the poor guy had his hand on the doorknob. "Livin' with a prude ain't easy, ya know."

Zel knocked on the door, "Xelloss. I have your clothes here. All the girls are out here. Yes. All. Because they are. No, I won't ask them all to leave; no one listens to me anyway. What? No! No one wants to see your ugly naked body any more. Don't be stupid! That would be a bad choice to make. Just take these and put them on. Right." And then after passing the said garments over Zel added, "Thank you."

A few moments later, Xelloss appeared clothed in his standard hotel evening attire– kimono and black silk pants. "One would have thought after your day at sea and evening at the pops, you would have wanted to turn in, _girls._.. Oh, I see, Lina is napping." He scrunched up his face at Gourry and Filia. "And since my bed's otherwise occupied, I shall have to wake Lina up."

"A bad idea," Zel warned him as he settled back into his designated 'spot'.

"She's not driving _me_ to the floor in my room!" Xelloss declared. He bounced over the one bed, jiggling Filia's cutting arm and eliciting a sharp, "Xelly-bean!"

"Xelly..._bean_?" Kiki repeated with wonder.

"Miss Filia likes nicknames, and that one's because..." Amelia began to explain.

"He's so sweet?" Kiki guessed. "Like the candy?"

"Maybe..."

"_Nothing_ like that," Filia said. "It just _sounded_ like the candy. That and he hates it," she added with a smirk.

Xelloss had settled in on the other bed, turned and stuck out his tongue at her. He and Val were lounging, half-sitting, and acting as bookends controlling Lina's sprawl in between. Contrary to what he had warned, Xelloss had carefully situated himself so as not to awaken Lina. Sylphiel turned on the TV, but the cable was limited to five stations, one being the 'things to do' advertising of the local businesses.

"We'd be better off just talking," she decided and flicked the TV off. "Oh, did you see that guy on the school roof, Gourry?"

"During the math final? Yeah, wonder how he got out there?"

Xelloss knew. "You can climb out the window of the girl's bathroom onto the roof. And don't ask me how I know that!"

Kiki thought he was funny.

"Last year during science lab, two guys were out there, but couldn't pull themselves back up. They were running around screaming...pretty pathetic." Zel smiled and shook his head. "Couple of jocks so out of shape and over-weight they got caught doing something stupid. Very funny, actually."

"Funny? We were doing life drawings in art class and the kid modeling fell asleep." Filia picked up another lank of damp hair and began to work out the snarls. "She woke up when her head went down and banged on something. You had to be there..."

Lina let out a sigh and turned sideways, draping an arm across Xelloss' waist. He pretended not to notice.

Sylphiel had more to share. "Did you know our Japanese teacher is dating the football coach?"

"No!" Amelia and Filia both exclaimed.

Lina grunted and adjusted her 'Xelloss' pillow. He moved an arm to encompass her shoulders. Zel caught his eyes in a staring contest. Zel was silently arguing that perhaps Xelloss should prefer to sit by Kiki? Xelloss was countering with a suggestion of his own– why doesn't Zelgadiss show some affection to either girl he was sitting beside? Or may be it was more of a 'make me' look.

"Yes! Someone from the office, you know, delivered a bunch of flowers to her."

Filia nodded, "Yeah, I saw those. Was it from him?"

"Uh, huh. The note fell off and I picked it up and put it back. I couldn't help but notice. Flowers...so–"

"Sweet," Zel supplied acidly.

"Romaaaaaantic," Xelloss trilled in falsetto.

"They suck," Val provided for contrast.

Gourry elected to keep his mouth shut. Filia had a sharp instrument in her hand, after all.

Filia and Sylphiel rolled their eyes. Kiki elbowed Zel. "Well they are nice! You'll find out when you grow up. Girls appreciate a thoughtful boy."

Zel froze up. _'When you grow up?'-- wasn't he grown up?_ He had thought he was quite mature.

Xelloss replied. "Some girls do. Other's just take, take, take, expecting more, more, more. In fact, I think very few actually value, truly, a kind, generous guy."

"Like _you_, huh?" Filia snorted.

"I'd like to think so."

Changing the subject, Sylphiel said, "The bathrooms at school used to be so messed up, you know? Like that one, I don't know where, that when you flushed the toilets, the water in all the sinks came on...?"

"Oh, yeah!" Filia laughed. "But at least it worked, sorta. The one in the art hall... It was a good day if one out of three was not leaking or backed up, or something. How about the boys' bathrooms?"

"They're okay now," Val said. There were some and he could find one in a pinch.

"As long as you don't have to spend any time in one," Zel noted.

"I couldn't say," Xelloss said, "I've never been in one; that is, except for the window incident." He could not be coerced into expanding on that story.

Zel felt a warm heaviness leaning into him. Amelia had fallen asleep.

"Just rest her head on your lap. You can carry her to her bed later," Kiki suggested.

While he attempted to lower Amelia into a comfortable position, he said to Xelloss, "You were the one who got those guys into trouble, weren't you? Showing them the window... Hey, I don't care. You could've provoked the entire team out onto the roof and pushed them off, for all I care."

"Then we wouldn't need the cheerleaders!" Sylphiel cried out.

To which Zel simply shrugged his shoulders as a reply.

"Anyway," Sylphiel continued. "What I was getting at...was that last year everything was like broken and now things work and the floors are clean. They replaced two of the old ovens in the cooking room."

"Ah...like the one that burned up some of Lina's cookies last year?" Gourry asked.

"Uh, huh. That one and another. Whatever you say or think about Grauscherra, Xelloss, he's a good principal."

"I'll tell him you said so next time I see him, which is next week, I think. Lina knows. His work ethic must run in the family," he added with a wink at Zelgadiss.

"So you two graduated? Does that mean we won't see you at school any more?" Filia asked. "I hope..." she added with a smile directed at Xelloss.

"Oh, we'll be around still," Xelloss assured her with a mocking smile. "I have an affinity for the fine fare offered by the school cafeteria and I'm still a participant in our musical, which affords me many opportunities to associate with the knowledgeable faculty."

Val chuckled, "Nerd suck-up..."

"And Zelgadiss wants to finish his Japanese and he's going to be a paid assistant in the computer center."

"'Nother nerd suck-up..."

"How's that art port-fo-leee-o coming along, Valentine?" Xelloss knew Val wouldn't try anything with Lina sleeping between them.

Val snorted, "Okay..."

"He's got the art teacher all excited about it. She's been helping him get it together. Paintings, computer art, sculpture...what else? Oh, photography, yeah." Filia tackled the last shank of uncombed hair with gusto.

"Careful there," Gourry implored as he tried to protect his tender scalp.

"She says Val has great promise and recommended several schools for him."

Further information from Filia was cut off by guffaws from both Zel and Xelloss and snickers from the others. "Ooooooo, Vally-boy's the teacher's pet."

Val was about to launch a retaliatory punch to Xelloss smart mouth, when he noticed Lina, now snuggled quite comfortably on and around Xelloss; head on his chest, one leg over his, his arm cradling her gently. Had it been ANYONE else, it wouldn't have registered in Val's mind, at all. "I'll let that pass, for now...lover boy," Val said in a low voice.

Sylphiel and Kiki had moved in close to Gourry to admire Filia's handiwork. They were engaged in conversation and didn't hear Val. "Oh, that looks so good! Would you trim mine too?" Kiki asked. "Not tonight, but when you have time."

Zelgadiss heard what Val had said, but was pinned to the floor by the prone Amelia so he couldn't really see Xelloss and Lina.

Filia had released his hair. All done. Gourry's head turned. Lina sleeping in Xelloss' arms was not what he had been expecting. Lina was asleep. She had no idea what she was doing and he was taking advantage of her, at least, that's how he saw it. He didn't like that contented...no...smug smile on the guy's face either. Gourry stood. "It's late and we gottanother gig tomorrow. I'm carrin' her to her own room. Filia? Wouldya show me where ta put Lina?" He leaned over and collected Lina in his arms before Xelloss could nay-say him.

Xelloss did get the last word in, though, "Sweet dreams...are made of this..."

Gourry grunted then swept out of the room.

"Want a hand with _your_ girl?" Xelloss asked of Zelgadiss, still on the floor.

With a faint flush, Zel answered. "Actually, yes. Although, I could just wake her up and let her walk. What's your problem?"

Hopping around on one foot while shaking his other was looking like an odd dance of Xelloss' making. "It fell asleep!" Xelloss whined. "I'm coming..."

Xelloss managed to get to Amelia, scoop her up, and right himself without dropping her. "Got her. I'll put Amelia away. The rest of you are on your own."

Val, Filia, and Sylphiel followed behind Xelloss and his load leaving Zel with Kiki. "My time to go," she said.

Zel was standing rather awkwardly staring at her. "Ah...yes."

"You wanted...to say something?" she stepped closer.

"I ah... Do you want to marry Xelloss?" he blurted out.

"No," she answered without pause. "I do like him, but I haven't even been on a date! How would I know how we get along?" With tears forming in the corners of her eyes, she added, "How would you feel stuck with someone you barely know for life?"

"I-I would hate it," Zel admitted. "I **_do_** hate it. I, ah, made Xelloss a promise, one I'll make to you too, and that is: I will find a way to stop it. You both deserve to the freedom to choose your own...to live your own lives."

Kiki's face brightened. "Why thank you, Zel. You have given me hope."

Zel had walked her to the door to the room she was sharing. They met Xelloss heading out. He turned and went the other direction. "Where are you going?" Zel asked. He wasn't certain if Xelloss knew which way was up sometimes.

"Hunting." Xelloss smiled. "Val and I are...going to...meet a few fans. I'll see you later."

"You have your room key?"

Xelloss patted his pockets. Surprisingly, this pair of silk pants had side pockets and even more surprising, the key was in it. "Why...yes I do!" He nodded to Kiki. "Good night," then hopped off.

"He's doing what?" she asked.

"Nothing. Zolf and Rodimus have cordoned off both ends of the hallway for security reasons. They won't get far," Zel assured her. "Good night."

"Oh...night!" She started to go in, and then hesitated. "Zel?"

"Uh...yes?" Kiki using the shortened form of his first name caught him off guard.

"Do you think we might go out together?"

Now he was further flustered. "Wh-who?"

"Us. You and me...and Amelia and Xelloss. I'd feel more comfortable in a group that way. I think... Would that be okay with you? I'd understand if you just wanted to be alone with Amelia. She told me you two...had gone out together."

"Just the once on her birthday more than a month ago." Why did he feel he needed to defend himself? "We're not really...um..." _Or are we?_

She put a hand to his arm. "We don't have to. I don't want to pressure you."

"No, I would like that! The four of us, yes. That would be all right, I mean...it might be fun. _Should_ be fun, I mean." He could have hit himself in order to shut up– that _might_ be fun, _too_!

"You _mean_ that? _Magnifique_! Can I tell Amelia; would you mind? Ah, _non_, I won't. I can see... you would rather just plan it all yourself. That's good, okay?"

"Uh, yes." Although as the door closed he wasn't entirely sure what he was to do next. Talk to Xelloss.

About the time he was dropping off to sleep, Val and Xelloss returned. He shut out their loud grumbling. Val went to the room he was sharing with Gourry. Xelloss stepped into his room and flung his shoes against the wall as he took them off.

"Told you so."

"I know, but I thought I had it worked out. I did! I don't know how Zolf figured out my little ploy, but he did. It makes me mad though. I'm an adult! If I want to go out, I should be able to!"

"He's protecting us...you from being torn apart or something. Just doing his job. Listen, I had a great deal of exercise today and I need to sleep for playing tomorrow, all right?"

"You going to hold me to that bet?"

"Yes, Xelloss. Seeing you kiss my dog will be the highlight of my week."

"You sick, sick boy..."

"That's me. 'Night."

"Good night, little brother."

"Oh, by the way..."

"Yes?"

"Think up something you, me, Amelia, and Kiki can all do together."

"Oh? Like a double date? 'Kay...that's a good idea really. I've never been out with Amelia before, dancing."

"Dancing? Well, if you want..."

"Dinner, dancing...and..."

"That's enough for a start."

"Yes. _Sweet _dreams."

"Right." Zel turned over and wondered about the word 'sweet', then fell asleep.

Song

Lina was very energetic, but the cold bay water, lack of plentiful food, and late nights singing took a toll on her body. When they took a break midway in their last performance of the night, Lina slumped onto a chair.

"Xelloss, come here."

Had he the ability, he would have instantaneously transported himself to her side. As it was, he skipped over as quickly as possible. "Yes?"

"I'm not...feeling so great."

He placed a cool hand to her forehead. "You might have a temperature. I'll get you some ice water."

"Yeah, inna minute. First, can you and Zel and Val work out a couple of those solos of yours...like the ones you did for the first time when Amelia was out and that one you sang in Zephillia? Good, 'cause I'm gonna cut mine except for the closer."

"Filia! Sylphiel! Come here. Lina's sick. What can you do for her? Tea?"

Amelia had been close enough to overhear. She scampered off to get some ice and a cloth napkin from the dining room.

Xelloss turned back to Lina. "We'll cover for you. Rest here as long as you can."

Seeing all the excitement centering around Lina made Gourry hurry to her side. "What's wrong?"

"I think I'm coming down with a cold or something," she began.

Gourry cleared off the ratty dressing room couch and helped her over. Amelia spilled some of her cup of ice when she tripped over a pillow Gourry had tossed onto the floor. "Oops! I made it! Here, Miss Lina! Put this napkin with ice on your head. You'll feel better when you cool down."

"Ah...thanks," Lina shook the ice free from her hair. She lay back and closed her eyes.

"Okay. They gave me this mug of hot water and I've put a bag of 'calming' tea in. That's all I have with me here. I have others back at the room," Filia explained.

"It will have to do," Lina sighed. However, on closer observation, she was plunged into a profound suspicion by the mug of tea. "What kind of herbs did ya say you put in here? I hope it doesn't make me sick to my stomach or put me to sleep. Have you ever drunk this?"

Filia just declared, "I'm coming down with a headache," and walked away.

"At least she brought something with her. I never think to bring anything with me from my shrine training," Sylphiel revealed.

"Who'da guessed?" Lina murmured. "How much more time do we have?"

"Twenty minutes." Amelia checked her watch. "Go ahead and rest. We'll wake you if you fall asleep."

To give Gourry a lot of credit, he worked up a bass line to back up Xelloss' songs during the rest of their break. He was trying to forget how angry he'd been the night before at Xelloss. Val had explained to him that Xelloss hadn't done anything. "I was sittin' right there an' she just rolled over on him. He didn't feel her up or anything."

But still. Wasn't Kiki enough? Apparently, not. Somehow that guy always managed to get his hands on Lina. His Lina. He pushed back his jealousy. Lina needed them to rally together and that's...what he was going to do.

"Okay! Now we've got another solo for our drummer, so if you give him minute to get...okay..." Quietly, Lina stepped away from the mic, leaving room for Xelloss to come forward.

"Thanks, Lina," Xelloss nodded. At that moment he decided to throw caution to the wind and peal back his smiling veneer, for just a few minutes. He addressed the audience with the question, "Is it still raining outside? Yeah?"

The audience nodded and a few 'yeahs' could be heard.

"So, anybody out there ever go through a bad breakup?"

A loud murmur of affirmative reverberated throughout the hall.

"Left you feeling kinda...empty, huh?"

"Oh, yeah!" came several more replies.

"Well...a friend of mine wrote this song a long time ago. It's for you still hurting out there." Xelloss paused to let Zel's bluesy guitar take front and center. "It's called 'Song for a Rainy Day', by David Cassidy, not me guys.

Val added some keyboards and Gourry brought in the rhythm.

Then he sang:

"It's sad to say it,

But I think love's gonna end.

Once we were lovers,

Now we're not _even_ friends.

It was good to have you near me for a while.

Well, we made each other happy,

And we made each other smile.

...

Zel looked over at his friend, holding back his own feelings which were welling up inside. He wondered how it was that Xelloss could sing the song without breaking down?

...

Seems I think about you, most of all...

On a rainy day.

Just hold me one more time

So I can close my eyes

Remembrin' how you feel,

Before we say goodbye.

It was good to have you near me for awhile.

...

Gourry wiped a stream of tears which had somehow come loose. No one was untouched by Xelloss' heart-qrentching delivery.

Seems I always think about you, most of all...

On a rainy day."

Zelgadiss tore into a heart-wrenching guitar solo while Xelloss watched in silence, readying himself for the final verse.

"The worst part is the knowin'

That my castle in the sky

Fell apart, and it's too late build it up, too late to try.

Seems I think about you, most of all...

On a rainy day.

On a rainy day... Oooh-ooooh on a rainy day

Oh-oh guess you know... Miss you babe...

Miss you most of all... Ooooh on a rainy day.

Ooooh on a rainy day..."

He sang it with such conviction, Lina wondered if maybe he really had been hurt more deeply than just pride-deep. Of course he was a good actor, but were those real tears in his eyes? If not, then why were her eyes welling up in response? "Stupid songs...he can have the sappy tear-jerkers..."

* * *

The Seal Cave tour

The next day they ate a leisurely breakfast and asked Zolf to drive the scenic coast route home. The extra rest and food bucked Lina up and whatever bug she'd been fighting the evening before had been vanquished. Filia claimed it was due to her clan's herbal potion, which it might have been, although Lina believed it was her own vitality and strength of will that won out.

Twenty minutes into the drive, Lina pointed out a sign. "Stop there! Zolf? You hear me? I've always wanted to see those caves."

"What's it with you and caves?" That was Val, who had had enough of them the summer before while discovering his roots.

"They hide secrets," she answered.

"The sign says 'Sea Lions', not secrets." Zel had found it necessary to point that out.

"I thought they swam in the ocean," Sylphiel said. "And slept on beaches."

"Or on wharfs. I was fishin' off the wharf on a vacation and one stole my bait." Gourry recalled. "Wasn't gonna catch nothin' anyway with all the gulls and pelicans hangin' around, but it didn't haveta take the bucket too!"

"Poor baby..." Xelloss muttered. Stinking wharf, slimy fish, nasty bait...at least sea lions had fur, but it was wet fur. They were not decent animals.

"Be nice," Amelia scolded him. "We can learn about the life cycle of our coastal mammals. I think it's a good idea. I've never been here before either!"

The others kept their comments to themselves and followed Lina into the main building. There was a snack bar and attached gift shop to one side and a roped off waiting area near the elevator down into the caves. At the counter was a familiar face.

"Hey! Jillas!" Lina shouted. "Whatayer doing here? Working?"

Val strode up behind her with a 'Yo, dude!'

Jillas had trimmed up his shaggy mop of red hair and frowsy beard and donned a clean shirt and pair of pants. Xelloss wouldn't have recognized him had Lina not drawn his attention to him. "Yeah, uh...hi, dudes." He nodded to Lina and Val. "Got me a job. No use messing 'round school no more. Me an' Gravos got a place out near the pool hall we'd go to. Not much, but least we don't got his old man and mine raggin' on us no more."

"Hear ya," Val commiserated. "Ya coulda graduated, though."

"Naw, that's fer you _smart_ guys!" Jillas laughed, but he seemed sad. "So, ya wanna take the tour? Leaves in a minute or two. No one else. Things are slow today. I could use the business."

"Sure. Are there really sea lions in the caves? I don't wanna pay for nothin'."

"Oh...yeah, lots," he assured her. "I mean hundreds. Some are really big and noisy. Pretty cool, actually."

Lina was getting excited now. "Let's get going then!"

"So if ya wanna go, ya gotta pair up." Jillas moved out from behind the counter and over to tall structure resembling a giant bubblegum machine.

"Gotta _what_?" Lina asked. She hated having someone else taking charge and giving her and her friends directions, especially a loser like Jillas.

"This is the fun part. You put in your money in this-here slot, then out comes this little ball. So then you reach in and take it and hide it and wait for everyone else."

Lina, impatient as ever, stepped up to the machine, stuffed in a few quarters and grabbed a marble. "Yeah, so?"

"Everyone does it." Jillas pointed to Zelgadiss.

While Zel bought his ball-pass, Jillas continued to explain. "If the ball matches, then you're paired up. Only so many can go in at a time, too."

Zel hid his selection and then moved aside for Amelia to take her turn. She pushed Xelloss up to the coin exchange next, and then Gourry, followed by Filia.

"Me and Kiki are going to the gift shop," Sylphiel announced. "Unless you really want to go, Val."

"_No way_!" Filia shouted. "We all go. I want to check out that gift shop, too. We'll do it later. Val, get up there and get your little marble thing, please?"

"Ah...shit..." he grumbled, but he did it.

"So the story goes," Jillas pulled a card from his shirt pocket and read in a monotone. "This vessel chooses the couples best suited for each other and sends them paired, thusly, into the cave of lovers and..."

"Eh! This IS the SEA LION cave?" Lina yelled.

"...Ah...and...ah... This vessel chooses the couples best suited for each other and sends them– "

"–Out that door faster than you can read the next words if you don't get a move on here!" Lina's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Ah, okay." Jillas' eyes danced sideways back and forth from Val to Lina. "I guess we don't gotta read the whole thing."

"That's right. So get, get!" But Lina couldn't 'get' until the elevator was opened.

"Um, so whattabout these marbles?" Gourry asked.

"Oh, well ah, Lina, we'll start with you..."

"Naturally..." she agreed. "Mine's red."

Zelgadiss couldn't believe it. He pulled out his little red ball just to be certain. It was still red like a cherry, or a tomato, or one of those apples they'd picked a few months ago, or a pomegranate, or...

"Zelgadiss? Oh!" Amelia was crestfallen, but she shook herself out of it immediately. "You're with Miss Lina!"

"Ah, yes." He stepped her way, horribly embarrassed and blushing warmly.

Gourry checked his ball again. No, _not_ red. "Mine's blue," he said aloud.

"Wha– " Amelia's voice caught in her throat. "Mine, too!"

Gourry shrugged, "That's okay, right? We're just goin' ta look at some seals."

Her smile returned. "Oh, of course. It's fine...nice! How about you, Kiki?"

"Green. Who has green?" Kiki looked from Val to Xelloss to Jillas.

"Me." Val held his up by his ear. "Clashes, huh?" Indeed, the emerald green ball looked garish beside his mint-green hair.

"Oh!" Kiki squeaked.

Filia's eyes narrowed. "You'd better not have a yellow one!" she told Xelloss.

His face grew pale. "Oh my..." His smile faltered. "Perhaps I'll check out that gift store now instead. I don't think I want to be..."

"I most certainly do not want to be paired up with him! Here, Sylphiel, trade!"

Jillas stepped between the feuding couples. "NO, no! It won't work...the magic of the tour won't work if you do that!"

"Magic? What do mean? _What_ won't work?" Lina asked as her irritation with Jillas elevated another notch or two.

"Trade or leave or...anything. The couple-sorter has spoken!"

Gourry moved toward the much shorter guy. "It didn't say a thing, did it, Zel?"

While Zel assured Gourry that he hadn't heard the machine so much as say 'boo', Lina collared Xelloss. "You aren't going anywhere, buster. Now, you and Filia can put away your petty differences or secret passions and get with the program here. It's all about going down and looking at a bunch of sea lions and then coming back up. It is...not...about...you!"

Filia crossed her arms and sighed heavily. "Oh...all right, but I want it known that I do not condone this pairing in any way, under no conditions..."

"Methinks the lady doth kvetch too much..." Zel muttered in an undertone to Lina, who smiled.

"For gods'sakes don't let either of them hear you or we'll be here all day!" Lina met Zel's eyes. The mutual good humor and friendship between the two friends showed that they were well matched; that is, for the observation of sea lions in their natural habitat.

But Sylphiel was unfulfilled. "What about me? I have this black one, who has the matching one?" She looked down at the shorter Jillas. "Not, like..._you?_!"

Xelloss laughed and put on a little juggling act, with two balls, one yellow and the other black. "How lucky can a guy get, eh? One for each arm!"

Even Filia chuckled. "Well, I'll share, if you will."

Sylphiel nodded agreeably.

Jillas fidgeted around. "Well, I guess that'll be okay. Ah, so I'll unlock the elevator. You can all get in. Oh, and the couples must hold hands. Achhhh!"

"Don't push it," Lina said as she strangled him into submission.

"You must enter paired!" he squeaked and rushed into the elevator.

Zel held out an arm, which Lina took, setting them all in motion. Like dancers beginning a dance, they entered arm-in-arm, Jillas pushed the 'down' button, and the door closed.

The descent took about two minutes.

The doors opened and the Slayers stepped out into a dimly lit cavern which was open to the sea, _somewhere_; you could hear the surf _somewhere_ in the background-- and smell the aroma of far too many animals in the foreground.

"Ach! Oh, my gods!" Filia choked as she stumbled out of the elevator.

Xelloss saved her from a fall onto the slippery walkway. "Steady, sweetie. Let's not begin this wonderful life together on the wrong foot...ting!"

She clung to him while covering her nose and mouth with her hand. "I'm going to be sick!"

"Wonderful..." He grimaced. "Et tu, my little sylph?"

Sylphiel shook her head. "It stinks, but it's no worse than the locker room after a game."

"Or the stables," Val added.

Zelgadiss didn't care for it, but he was bothered more by the incessant barking noise. He freed his arm to reach into a pocket and retrieve his earplugs.

Free to move on her own, Lina marched over to the railing and leaned over. She just hung that way for the longest time.

"Miss Lina? What do you see?" Amelia broke the spell.

She shot up and spun around. "See? Oh...nothing...Nothing to see. Might as well just go back and check out that...gift shop, right?" And with that she grabbed Zel's arm and pulled him toward the waiting elevator.

Now, that was just too odd. They had just arrived! It drew curious observers from all over to the edge.

"Oh!" Kiki and Amelia cried out and then started to giggle.

"Come on!" Lina shouted.

Gourry took one look, smiled and pulled the younger girls away. "It's just what they do now, I guess."

Val was howling. "Ooooh, whoooo! The sea lions are get-ting it _on_! Good call, Jillas." He wrapped his arms around Kiki and Amelia. "Don't worry little ladies. It's just some of that 'circle of life' you was wantin' to learn more about, but you don't gotta look. I'll protect ya."

Amelia swatted his big hand. "Stop talking like an uneducated male chauvinist oppressor!"

Val rolled his eyes at that as he drew her in for a painful hug. "Ah, I ain't that bad!"

"Oh...maybe not, but those spikes on your vest are when you shove them into my eye!"

He pulled back alarmed that he might have actually hurt her, but found Amelia smiling up at him and giving him a wink.

"You lie," he chuckled then released her to flee to the far side of the observation area.

Xelloss, with his camaraderie, took their turn.

"Oh, yuck. Fat animal love. Great. How much did I pay to see that?" Filia sniffed and turned away.

"I knew this would be disappointing." Sylphiel sighed and looked at Xelloss. "No offense."

"None taken."

Zelgadiss had untangled himself from Lina and was trying to see what all the turmoil was about. "Oh."

"Is there more? More, as is different, I mean. Or is this the whole tour?" Xelloss asked Jillas who was still sharing a laugh with Val. "Zelgadiss? Is it all _that_ interesting?"

"Maybe. Come over here and take a look."

There was something in his tone of voice that wiped the smile off his face. "Okay. What...?"

"Follow my arm...past that grouping of rocks. Gourry! Are you looking? There, past the rocks near that cluster of...animals. What is that?" Zel pointed with some urgency now.

"Oh, it's...it's..."

Lina pushed her way to the forefront of the action again. "Lemme see. What?"

"It looks like a dead body," Gourry finished. "Better call the cops."

"A dead body!" Jillas shouted.

Lina had swung herself over the railing and was on her way down the rocky slope when Gourry spotted her. "Lina!"

"Damnit," Zel shouted. "You know that those male sea lions can kill you!"

"I wanna see who it is!"

Jillas told them he had a siren to chase them out of the cave. "It'll make ya deaf so go back into the elevator while I turn it on. The police oughtta be here by the time the animals are gone."

That wasn't good enough for Lina. She climbed back to the human side of the enclosure. "I don't wanna wait that long." She turned to Zel expectantly.

He couldn't deny her. He was curious, too. "Go on. I'll put in my heavy-duty earplugs."

Twenty minutes later, sirens still blaring, the police arrived. Jillas told them what they had seen and that as soon as he cut the noise, they'd have ten minutes at best to haul up the body before the animals returned.

"Can you identify the body?"

Jillas nodded, "Yeah. A dude named Dilgear."

The Slayers had already split, saddled with the knowledge that however inadvertent that it was, they were responsible for yet another death. It was a sobering end to their road trip.

The next few days passed uneventfully until Zelgadiss found himself accompanying Xelloss on another visit to Subaru.

"He's not in," Xelloss told him after checking the roster at the door. "But he's due back in less than an hour. I've got some work I can do. Want to come with me?"

"No. I have lines to learn for the musical and my Japanese book. I'll be fine just sitting here by the door. Besides, if he comes in this way, I'll be the first to know and we'll come get you."

With that, Xelloss departed, leaving Zelgadiss to fend for himself. The bench was empty in the entry hall, so he opened his backpack, took out Lina's script and began to scan it.

"May I sit here too?"

Zel looked up to find the gentle voice belonged to an equally gentle-faced girl whose long black hair swept her elbows. "Certainly. I'm just waiting for someone, one of the priests."

"Oh, me, too." After a pause she asked, "Do you think I need an appointment?"

"I don't think so, but I arrived with one of the priests here. I've never actually showed up alone so I don't know what the protocol is. I could ask for you." After saying that, Zel wondered at his boldness. His wasn't one to get involved or go out of his way for a stranger. But, he looked again at the girl. Her face was pretty without makeup, her clothes simple, neat loose-fitting pants and shirt with a jacket. He liked her immediately. This was someone who had no need to put on airs or artificiality of any kind—kind of like Lina or Amelia or Kiki.

"Oh, no. Please don't go to any trouble. The person I'm waiting for is supposed to be back soon." She looked away, down at her hands, then back up to Zel's eyes.

_Demure. Yes, that would describe her_. "Are you from around here?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, does it show?" She looked frightened now.

"Does what show? I don't know what you mean. I just meant that I don't recognize you from the high school, the university, or from the few shrine visits I've made." Zel was now wishing he hadn't begun this awkward conversation. Then it occurred to him that she was probably uncomfortable around him as well. "It's really none of my business. Sorry."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm sorry, too. It's just...well, I am new around here. I ran away from home and came looking for a friend of a friend."

Yes, she had a nice way about her. It made him want to know more. "You ran away. I know there were times when I wanted to do that. I don't live at home any more now, but I remember the feeling."

"I don't know if you could have felt as unwelcome as I did. I had to pretend to be just the way my mother wanted me, and then one day...I just couldn't stand it anymore."

"So, then you ran away? I can understand that though. You are the only one who can live your life and there comes a time when you have to do just that. A time when you have to accept yourself the way you are, and hope that others do as well. And..." he stopped. Her eyes were on him. He blushed in response. "As you can see, I've had to go through that in a way myself. I thought I had to get away from home to find a cure for...this, but that wasn't exactly the problem."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have stared so, but..." the girl blushed with him. "I think I saw your picture in the paper. I hadn't been here long and I was coming that day to the shrine. It was just after the Solstice festival. You were one of the kids who averted some big catastrophe here right?"

"Yes. My name's Zelgadiss. I'm with the band called the Slayers."

"Which explains the cool clothes, huh? Well, I think you are very nice, Zelgadiss. I've never met a famous person before."

"I don't think I'm that familiar to people. I certainly don't feel famous."

"You'll give me an autograph, won't you?"

"Autograph? I guess so, but I can't imagine why you'd want it. I tell you, the band's becoming pretty well known but I'm just a small part of it."

The girl, nevertheless, withdrew a small notebook and pen from her bag. "Please?"

"Fine. So, ah, do I just sign my name or write a message or what would you like?"

"Oh, I don't know. Whatever you like, just make it out to me, Miwan."

* * *

From the Authors:

Note: the pieces of the song 'On a Rainy Day ' were by David Cassidy.

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 38.


	39. Putting Together a Puzzle

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 39 **

**Putting Together a Puzzle **

**_"Recruits are the penultimate articles of syndicate trade and commerce-- death being the final one." - Zelgadiss_**

**

* * *

Puzzling People**

"You'll give me an autograph, won't you?" Miwan asked with hope in her eyes.

"Autograph? I guess so, but I can't imagine why you'd want it. I tell you, the band's becoming pretty well known but I'm just a small part of it," Zelgadiss felt awkward by the request.

The girl, nevertheless, withdrew a small notebook and pen from her bag. "Please?"

"Fine. So, ah, do I just sign my name or write a message or what would you like?"

"Oh, I don't know. Whatever you like, just make it out to me, Miwan."

"Miwan. That's Japanese, right? My mother was Japanese. She's dead now, but I'm studying the language."

"Chinese, actually, but I'm proficient in Japanese as well."

Zel felt foolish._ Not Japanese_. Why had he volunteered so much personal information to this complete stranger? Zel lowered his head and tried to hide the faint blush spreading from cheek to cheek. Then he noticed the cute girl was still talking to him.

"I could help you to practice!" Miwan smiled and kindly didn't laugh at Zel's flustered look. "I guess you could be part Japanese...from your build."

Zel had just managed to meet her eyes again_. My build? She's looking me over? _He had somehow forgotten that he no longer wore concealing, loose-fitting clothes. His black leather jacket was open to reveal a tight, black-mesh shirt. The confidence coming from being a performer and from having others depend on him in desperate situations, had seeped into his daily choices, as in what to wear, and now by allowing him to open up to a stranger. At that moment, it occurred to him that he was acting like a different person than the Zelgadiss he was more familiar with—perhaps, more secure with.

"I'm more comfortable with others my size. Those big guys intimidate me. Are the other two guys in your band nice?"

Zel nodded. "Three. The tallest one, Gourry, is the nicest, kindest guy I think there is on this planet. Val, the punk-looking guy, is harsh but a great guy once you get past his act. The guy about my size, Xelloss, is the priest here, in fact, so you might have a chance to meet him. I share a house with Val and Xelloss."

"Really? All _three _of you? How does _that_ work out? I mean, who rooms with whom?"

"We each have our own room and we divide up the different chores. Val is a part-timer out at the Cephied Clan and gone a lot, so it works out all right."

"I see, then that leaves just you and Xelloss alone together. You two must be pretty close?"

Zelgadiss thought that to be a rather unusual conclusion. "Rather like brothers. We're related."

He was further confused by Miwan's reaction to that admission. She brightened and smiled, "Oh! Family. How nice for you then."

"I have a father in town, but Val and Xelloss have no living close relatives (that aren't trying to kill them) so we just ... you know..."

"Have each other! How lovely! How _sweet_!"

Zel wouldn't have put it that way exactly (_There's that term sweet' again!_) "We have safety in numbers at the very least."

"Ahhhh... So who does your hair? Or...is that too personal to ask a star?" Miwan's eyes were twinkling with stars themselves.

"No, it's just..." Zel was caught off guard by that question. He broke his train of thought, sighed, and then said, "It's just the way it is. A wiry mess. Yes, go ahead, if you must...touch it." He couldn't believe he said that! And _he_ had made the offer!

Miwan reached over and delicately drew a few strands through her fingers. Zel drew in his breath. She was so close. He closed his eyes and saw, that is, pictured AMELIA. _But this wasn't her. This girl was not nearly as well-endowed as Amelia. Not at all, in fact._ He wondered how old this girl actually was. From her voice he'd thought that she was his age or even older.

"It's like a necklace my last boyfriend gave me of something called 'liquid silver'. Even the color! Oooh! Pretty earrings!"

_Boyfriend?_Well, she wasn't that young, then, he guessed. His eyes remained closed as the girl's slender fingers caressed his one exposed ear, sending a shiver up his spine. _That feels so...nice. She's flirting with me! I'm not hiding my scars and this really cute girl's not turned off by them! _This startling realization broke him out of his trance-like state. "Ah...yes, well..."

"They accentuate your unusual ears. Hey, if you've got them, flaunt them, right?" Miwan laughed so charmingly that Zel had to smile.

By this time Miwan was nearly sitting on his lap; their legs were touching. She had one arm draped across his chest with her hand resting on his shoulder. The hand had left his ear, but was still entertaining a hunk of his hair in a manner Zel could only think of as a seductive one. _She's not so shy as I thought at first. Maybe I should invite her to stay at our place? In our guestroom. Just until she got a place of her own, of course_. _How would I explain that one to my roommates? Hi, I just met this girl and she has no place to live so I've brought her home. Mind? Funny thing is, they probably would do the same thing, but with different motives. Maybe different. Well, kind of. Wait, hadn't she said that she was meeting someone here? _He decided to find out a bit more about this very exciting young woman. He was quite smitten, but ever cautious.

"Right. So, Miwan, who are you meeting here?" _Your potential boyfriend?_

"A boy named Subaru. I had friends in common with some guys in his band, but I never knew him. He was hard to get to know in Atlas City. Then I heard he'd moved here and then his sister died. I thought...maybe...he'd need a friend."

That was unexpected as well. "Subaru? Ah, yes, a friendship he could use, but not a girlfriend." Then Zel caught himself. What right did he have to decide what was right or wrong for Subaru? Or to reveal someone else's secrets?

"I sure hope not!"

_What?_ Zel was confused now.

"I would have wasted my time if that had been the case. Of course, had I been a girl, I wouldn't have been thrown out of my folk's home. As it was, when I refused to marry the girl they'd chosen for me they were mad, but when I told them I preferred boys to girls, romantically, well...that was that."

"You're a _guy_?" Zel gasped aloud. He had had no idea!

Miwan took that response poorly. "I see, you thought I was a girl and were being nice, but now that you know I'm gay, you're going to...to..._what_? Beat me up?" Miwan looked defiant, and scared at the same time.

"_Me_? Nothing. _No!_ I mean, _yes_, I thought you were a _girl_, but now that I know you're not... it's all right, I guess. I mean, I'm not attracted to you or anything, but I'm no homophobe either." Zel took a deep breath to calm down and attempt to speak more logically and then continued, "Subaru-- I consider him to be a friend. And now that I think about it, I don't think he needs a boyfriend now either, but I could be wrong." Zelgadiss was agitated, shaking slightly as a nervous reaction to his recent shock. Miwan was a _guy!_

"I hope he can use another friend. And I hope I can find friends as good you are to him." Miwan held out a hand and smiled, "Truce?"

Zel nodded. "All right." As they shook hands, Zel said, "Let's start over. My name is Zelgadiss and I'm a friend of Subaru's."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Miwan and I'm hoping to make some new friends here in Seyruun. And I'd really like to have your autograph, too!"

How could Zel refuse? He smiled shyly and took the pen and notebook.

"Hey, Zel-gaaaaa-diss! Look who I found coming in the back door!" Xelloss called from the far hallway. He looked questioningly from Zel to the as yet unknown Miwan character.

"Hi, Xelloss. Hey, Subaru...I'd like you to meet a _guy_ who's come a long way to see you. This is Miwan from Atlas City. Xelloss, _he _needs a place to stay for awhile. Do you think the shrine can put _him_ up?" He put only a very slight emphasis on the gender-specific words.

Xelloss looked the pretty boy over, and then gave Zel an odd look. "Okaaay...Come with me. If you pass the background check, we'll go talk to Nels Lahda, the head priest. Okay? I'll meet you **_guys_** back at Subaru's room." Xelloss added his own emphasis, for emphasis.

Miwan looked up at Xelloss a moment, then back to Zel.

With a knowing smirk to Miwan, Zel warned, "Not _him_ either." Zel then turned toward Xelloss again and replied, "All right. Good luck." Then over to the other young man, Zel asked, "So, Subaru, show me how much those fish have grown."

With a sigh, Miwan picked up his pen and notebook from the bench where Zel had placed them. He read the note, which said: "To Miwan, a guy full of surprises," and signed, "from Zelgadiss, your friend."

"What a nice guy!" Miwan chuckled.

"Who, Zelgadiss? Yeah, my little brother's just figuring that out." Xelloss smiled and led Miwan in a different direction.

Zelgadiss was in good spirits. That had been a really weird event. It could have been worse, he supposed. He might have gone as far as asking the guy out before finding out _he_ wasn't a _she_. Yep, that would have been worse. As it was, he began entertaining an entirely different train of thought—a constructive one.

* * *

The Shapes of Puzzle Pieces

January flowed naturally into the month of February. Scripts for the musical were on their second re-write. Each time the band read through the entire composition, they suggested changes, mostly improvements. The pages became so altered that Lina finally broke down and produced updated versions. Now the band had to memorize their parts.

Zelgadiss had time to kill, or so Lina declared, and so he was put in charge of designing a lighting system which could be computer controlled. It wouldn't fit into their plans to have Rodimus and Zolf bogged down with technical details. If the musical would be the syndicate draw they figured it would be, the Slayers would need all the reliable backup possible.

"Costuming is way ahead of schedule," Zel told her early one Saturday morning before band practice. "I talked to Bobby the other night and he said we should arrange a fitting of what was ready. While I was at it, I had his band scour the bargain bins and re-sale shops for those items you wanted for the band."

"My eighteenth-century-gentry look? Shirts with ruffles? Knee pants? Velvet and long coats and brocade vests? Really?" Lina asked.

"And you won't believe it, but those guys are very lucky. They came across a going-out-of-business sale for a --get this-- _costumier _in Sairaag." Zel folded his arms across his chest and looked pleased.

"You're kidding! No? Oh WOW! That's gotta be great, huh? I wanna see the stuff now!"

"Not now, but tomorrow. Sylphiel's meeting Bobby to help pick up and deliver the clothes to Amelia's, after practice. We'll try them on tomorrow in the coach house. If anything needs adjustment, and something will, Sylphiel will do the markings. Who knew we'd use her tailoring class background?"

"Yeah," Lina thought over what Zel had told her. "So, Sylphiel's happy with her car. That was pretty nice of you to get her that."

"It wasn't much. The tricky part was convincing her father to let me, thus the tailoring work in trade."

Lina thought it was a big 'much'. The Zel she knew a year-and-one-half ago wouldn't have bothered, if it would nave even occurred to him to do such a thing as replace her destroyed car. And now, he was passing it off as 'no big deal'. She decided to make 'no big deal' out of it either, then. "Okay, sounds like things are moving' right along then. Xelloss has arranged for some dance troop to come and give us dance lessons. Oh, just enough to improve a few parts, nothing too elaborate. Except for Val. He's got a big number with feather dancers for him!"

"No!" Zel chuckled. "That just won't happen."

"Well, maybe not, but there's feathers involved and a lot of howling."

"Ha, all right. _Howling _I'll give you, but feathers...? Oh, yeah, his costume has them on the wings. I wanted them huge, but we couldn't make the wings large enough without making them too heavy to wear. They'll be cool, though." He stood arms aloft giving her the proportions. "If you're lucky, he might let you borrow them for your next Halloween costume."

Lina was grinning, but for more reasons than just satisfaction with how the musical was coming together. Every now and then she had her wickedly witty, fearless friend from childhood back. Zelgadiss was happy, involved, talkative, and funny. How she wished he could just stay this way a little longer before slipping back into one of his dark moods. Lina realized that having him lighthearted made her feel cheerful as well. They were so much alike. They shared so much past, so much history. A history filled with 'if onlys', headlined by: 'if only he hadn't had that terrible accident'.

But now, watching him laughing and chattering away carelessly, it was as if a part of that past was being rewritten, creating a new story for them to follow. And that wasn't all. As she continued to concentrate on his face, she discovered that he really was changing. He looked different. She stepped so close to him, in fact, that he stopped speaking and stared back. "What is it? What's the matter?"

"You. I hadn't noticed before, but...something Xelloss had passed on that Kiki had said."

"What?" Zel wondered what Kiki might have said about him.

"My gods, Zel, she's right! Your eyelashes have re-grown on this eye. How about that one you have hidden under there? Not only that, but your face..." she reached out and grabbed his hand, examining it carefully, something Lina never did, something she had always avoided, for his sake mostly. "Your hands too! Have you noticed!"

He was smiling and nodded in answer. "I can't say about the eyelashes. They just did that on their own without any reason that I know of, but the skin, yes. Apparently something in the spa treatments I had improved the outer surface. It's not nearly so rough. That in turn reduced some of the irritation which was causing much of the red splotchiness. Xelloss and I had an appointment at the dermatologist and he's isolating the active ingredients for me. It's no cure, but nothing short of complete skin grafts is. We think it will continue to improve a little more. It's a start. It's at least something I can live with a bit better, I think."

"That's really great for you. I, ah, hadn't noticed before."

"Why should you? I don't expect the people I see all the time to see little changes like that."

Lina smiled at that. "I stopped noticing your scars a long time ago, Zel. The hair, well, that's hard to say. Silver-lavender is hard to overlook. It's striking, really...ah...gives you that glam-rock edge."

"Oh, pul-eeeese," Zel covered his face with a hand in embarrassment. Lina dishing out compliments was disconcerting.

"Icy-like...a good contrast to my fiery beauty!" Lina finished.

He chuckled, a deep rumbling sound. _That was more like it!_

"You laugh, but you don't havta hear all the fan-girls at school gushing over my best bud."

Pointing to one pointed, bejeweled ear he said, "I hear enough. It's certainly...different. Last year I was one step up from the school pariah, whoever that poor chump might be, and now... Did I tell you this... guy I met while waiting for Subaru at the shrine asked me for my autograph? It was weird (and only the gods know how weird). He called me famous. Are we famous?"

Lina smirked. "Infamous as well! I kinda like that notorious bad-guy image as much as the glamorous one."

"You would." He looked down, meeting her red-hot gaze. "I do, too."

"You know what else Xelloss passed on to me?" Lina asked.

"Do I want to know?" A split-second later he changed his mind. "All right, I'll yield on that one."

"He told me that Kiki likes you."

"Lina..."

"Eh! Let me finish. I only mention this, and gods know I normally don't care to interfere in anyone's, ah, life, but...geesh!" Lina saw the little light in his eyes dim, and then go out. Relationship chat might be the death of them both at this rate. "From a band perspective, all right! I'm trying to keep the band intact here. Now, Xelloss doesn't seem too broken up about it, but it's kinda strange...the two of you...her...not to mention Amelia..."

"Yes, please don't mention her." Something in his gut clenched up– guilt's punch. "Leave her out of this. Lina... Xelloss and Kiki are not 'in love', in fact they are just barely clinging to 'in like' mode at times. It's a syndicate tie of some kind. They both want out of the marriage, but can't sever the contract without, we think, at least her parent's approval." Zel continued to explain to Lina all he knew. "I promised them both to find a way out for them."

"And? Do you have an idea?"

Zel looked away, admitting, "Not exactly..."

"Well, I do."

"That was quick..."

"Yep. You ever watch that TV 'reality' show called 'My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancee?' Getting the gist yet?"

"I've never seen it, but I have an inkling... Won't work."

"Why not?" Lina thought he hadn't given her terrific idea as much consideration as it deserved. He'd better have a good reason for shooting it down so abruptly.

"I don't think parents who force kids to marry that way care if he's a jerk or not, as long as he brings his inheritance to the alter."

"Nuts."

"Sorry."

"So what do her parents and syndicate people have in common when it comes to their reprehensible need to acquire material? More precisely, what would they both hope to get from a marriage? They don't get the money, Kiki does. Neither kid is actually part of the syndicate, so what does that bunch get from it?" Leave it to Lina to get the lowdown on the insatiable greed angle.

"A cut of the profits?" Zel speculated.

"Not just a cut...something even more important."

Their eyes met as understanding washed over them simultaneously. "**_Children_**."

"Recruits," Zel expanded on the theme, "are the penultimate articles of syndicate trade and commerce-- death being the final one."

"So," Lina slapped him on the back. "We just have to prove they can't have children."

"Oh? **_WE_** _only_ have to do that?"

"Well, you do. _You_ made them the promise, right?"

"Oh, joy..."

"I just **_know_** you can do it!" Lina cried out in an imitation of Amelia's upbeat attitude, adding the fluttering eyelashes for effect.

"Cut it out," Zel blushed, but smiled just the same. "I suppose we could fake some medical documentation..."

"It'll be like...climbing a tree."

"A tree?"

"Yeah..." Lina's face softened and her face took on a dreamy expression.

Zel wondered at that. He wondered whether or not he wanted to know what had crossed and settled on her mind, or if he should, in fact, run for his car and get the hell out of there while he was safe.

He had wondered too long.

Lina latched onto his arm and shouted, "I got an idea. Come on!"

She led him out the back door of her house and into the backyard.

"Yes...it's a tree." He bowed to her superiority.

"Yeah, but look at how big it is. Big enough for a tree house. Whaddaya think? Wanna build one? Nothing complex..."

Lina went on describing her plans, while Zel wrestled tools, ladders, and lumber from the cluttered, car-less garage to the tree.

"Lina," he said at last. "You'll need a real builder, say, Gourry, to complete what you've just described."

"But I don't want GOURRY to build it. It's...not for him. Just do what you can do, and I'll help, of course."

Zel had no idea what Lina was up to, but he didn't really mind either. "It won't be very far off the ground. The limbs aren't strong enough."

She didn't care. "Yours or the tree's?" she asked sarcastically.

They exchanged smirks. For a split second Zel considered ripping off his shirt to show off his lean, but well-muscled arms and torso, just for an instant. He chuckled to himself. _Man, am I going nuts? What's with me? Besides, it's not even forty degrees outside!_

"There's not enough wood for a roof," he sighed.

"Don't need it!" came her opinion with an airy wave of her hand.

"The railing is not worth a damn," was his analysis.

"So I won't lean on it!" she dismissed him absentmindedly.

And at last when it was done, he had to confess, "The platform's tilted."

"Perfect. Put that ladder up close and hold it for me."

Zel did as he was told, then joined his friend. The plank surface wasn't very large. They lay on their backs side by side and stared up at the leafless branches and dark, cloudy sky.

"So, why did we do this?" he asked.

"Because."

"Because...? You want to see what I'll do when asked?"

"Nah, I know all about that. Just...because."

They stared in silence a little longer, and then she said, "I wish we were ten years old again. Yeah, ten or so when everything was simple and new and endless."

"Ten? Yeah, ten was good. So was eleven. You called me an elf then. We'd been reading Tolkien, stumbling over some of the difficult names and skipping some of the long descriptive passages..."

"I didn't skip anything!" Lina declared. "Did you really?"

"Found out at last!" Zel chuckled softly. "I knew you loved that stuff, but I was just a kid and thought it was boring. Hey, I didn't skip much!"

"You cheated. I never knew." Lina turned toward him. "And here I thought you were perfect, and now I find out you were flawed."

"Perfect? You were faster, stronger, smarter, and at times even taller than me. I always felt...well, privileged to be chosen by you to share your company."

"Yeah?" Her turn to laugh. "Well, you were of course, but so was I. I was best friends with an elf, the one everyone was in love with, for gods'sakes. That counted for lots. Funny..."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now you're faster, stronger, taller...nearly as smart, ha ha!"

"But even more flawed." He didn't say it with sadness, however.

"Only your skin, but underneath you're still Zel. Clever and witty, funny and deep, loyal and thoughtful, and talented."

"Whew! My head, my head it's...growing!" He sputtered out hands on either side of his head as if to hold it together.

Lina whacked him. "At _times_ you're even funny..."

He just grinned up at the sky. It wasn't much, but he'd built it all himself. Lina had held things steady and given directions, but he had supplied all the labor. Turning his head slightly, afforded him a view of Lina out of the corner of his eye.

She was so tiny. When had that happened? He'd been so small and frail and Lina had been his protector, but now his hands looked huge next to hers. Well, not huge, gigantic, but big. Her little finger looked like a child's with skin glowing like pale, perfect porcelain. His eyes traveled up toward her face. She hadn't grown in years. She looked fragile with her lean narrow frame, while he thought he was looking ... well, more manly. His shoulders had really filled out, thanks to the sword work and swimming and, no less so, to the male growth hormones. He wondered what Lina would say, or do, to him if he leaned a little closer and kissed her. Zel shook his head and smiled. No, he wanted to see adulthood yet. What an asinine thought! Danger averted. They were growing up, sure enough, but then, lying up there, sharing their tree house, it was like he was a kid again, too.

After a few minutes, he said, "I know why you wanted this tree house now."

"Eh? You do huh?"

"Yeah. You wanted to make time stop and reverse."

"I wanted you to think back and realize how much like that guy you still are. And... I wanted to return to a time when my problems were infinitesimal compared to now. No life-or-death situations on a weekly basis. No inter-friend rivalries. No great partings and separations looming in the near future..."

"Lina, all those challenges were there in the past too, we just weren't aware of them. We were in a magical world of our own creation where nothing and nobody could touch us. For a little while, that is..."

"Then came your accident, and the whole world was kicked off kilter," Lina sighed and covered her eyes with an arm.

"Just our world, Lina. The rest of the world was already moving off in full swing toward this future. Amelia had lost her mother and her sister was about to go into a downhill spiral. Sylphiel's parents, your father were already dead. Val's memories of his birth family were already fading away. Xelloss ...was about to..." Zel paused for breath.

But there was no reason to say any more. Lina knew where each piece of the puzzle had to move to fit into place for the story to work, for the picture to look right.

"If there had been no accident, or attempt on your life, whatever it was...then..."

"Then we probably would have missed this part of the story; we wouldn't have fit into the puzzle because events wouldn't have shaped us right," Zel said with a sigh. "So, I have to accept what happened to me as a good thing?"

"Not 'good' exactly, but an important thing. It made you grow and develop into the guy you are today, prepared to carry this story to its end. It made you stronger."

Zel looked over at Lina, "And you, too. Who knew that anyone could hold onto a friendship with the basket-case I became? That took strength, more than all the musclemen in Seyruun could muster."

"Yeah," She smiled and looked back up at the dark sky.

Zel squeezed her hand, so tiny in his. "I'm glad we built this."

"I'm glad, too."

"I'm glad we had his talk, too."

"Yeah..."

From below they heard an oh-so-familiar voice.

"Hey, Lina? Whatcher doin' up in the tree?"

The platform, being not far from the ground, and Gourry, being comparatively tall, were nearly neck-and-neck, so to speak. Gourry was just eye level, at the lower end of the lopsided platform, to Lina and Zel.

"Zel? You're here too?"

"Gourry?" Lina sat up. "Oh, yeah. Hi."

"It's Saturday and I got no work and I thought you might want some lunch before goin' to practice, but if yer busy..."

"Busy? I'm never too busy to eat. You know that!" Lina sat up and stretched. "How long have I been out here?"

"A few hours," Zel supplied. "Well, I ought to be off then. See you at practice."

"Dontcha wanna come, too?" Gourry asked.

Zel looked at Lina then back at Gourry. Could he honestly say he adored Lina, or anyone else for that matter, like Gourry did? He wondered if he could ever feel that deeply for anyone. He was only just warming up to himself and (if he was going to be wholly honest with himself now) to an unattainable girl or two. "No, I think I'll go home and get a few things done. Thanks though. Bye."

Gourry watched Lina hop down. She turned and waved. "And Zel?"

"Yes?"

"We'll do this again sometime, when we need it."

Zel smiled, "If we need it."

* * *

Puzzling Times

"Hello, is the mayor in? Ah, Zelgadiss Greywords." Zel waited for the housekeeper to announce his arrival. He had not called ahead. It was a gamble coming here this way, against the man's orders, but he felt it was necessary to force his hand. Phil once held all the cards, but this time it was Zel who had dealt them out.

A few minutes later, he found himself waiting in the office where a couple months earlier he'd battled Kanzel and Mazenda. Everything had been repaired. He couldn't find a mark, scratch, or dent to tell of their adventure.

He hoped that this meeting would clear up the obstacles in the path to their double-date with Xelloss and Kiki, and that it would relieve his conscious concerning Amelia. He hadn't asked her out since her birthday in December, although he supposed he was expected to. He had hardly talked to her over the weekend fearing her father had hired a detective to watch his every move. He found that his attention had wandered to the unreal Rubia, the unavailable (for the time-being) Kiki, and the un-female Miwan, while the real, available and most definitely female Amelia was just waiting with bated breath for him to acknowledge her presence.

But, Zel had only pretended not to notice her. He had rescued that damned purse of hers at great risk to his own neck! He had sympathized with her when she inadvertently had kicked over the fog-machine canister, relieving it of its contents, even though he was thrilled not to have to sit in the mist for the two-day gig. And there was the way he pictured her in his mind... He really couldn't help himself. Anytime, anywhere, a nude vision of the little princess would pop into his mind. Evaluating equations in math...Amelia. Carefully measuring out the powered hydroxyls in Chemistry lab...Amelia. Taking a shower...oooh...Ameeelia...

Nothing like that had ever happened to Zelgadiss. It was like being a little out of control. He wasn't sure how to deal with it, but he knew he didn't trust himself alone with her. So, he withdrew from her. Unfortunately, his brain just kept flashing those pictures, with enhancements! Other girls were looking good, too. He should have commiserated more with Xelloss. He would definitely understand. Maybe he would have a talk with him about it. It was distracting!

Of course there were times when fantasy-Amelia was neatly tucked away, or tossed aside to make room for some other vision of femininity, like Rubia, Kiki, Lina, hell...even Kagome. Miwan, he had stuffed away in his brain's recycle bin, ready for emptying. Yeah, Lina was not exempt from his flights of imagination these days, although he was extremely circumspect around her. He knew that it would be far more prudent to hide his feelings than to let on that he felt, could feel, any sort of attraction for her beyond friendship. Not that he did. He wasn't even certain that it was anything more than that she was a cute girl with which he had close and frequent contact. Unfortunately, he felt, just about any cute girl was getting his notice. Even the fans were getting in under his 'don't touch me' radar. It was crazy!

At that moment it occurred to him what was happening to his mind and body, those horrible hormones were kicking in. It was affecting his skin and his brain at the same time! Great, just great. He thought he'd missed this stage of development. How old was he...eighteen? Great...oh...joy...

Zel's musings were interrupted by the sound of the office door closing and a large man clearing his throat. "Ahh, I wasn't expecting you, considering I had barred you from this house."

"Sir? I...know you did, but I was hoping that you might reconsider."

Phil's eyebrows drew into a single black line. He hadn't taken a seat and he hadn't indicated that Zel could. The two men shared the increasingly shrinking space uncomfortably.

Zel took the pause as his signal to say his piece. So he did. He explained what he knew or conjectured about the Xelloss-Kiki affair–especially the syndicate involvement. "It's put a strain on them, to say the least, to the point where Kiki asked me to arrange some double dates...ah...with Amelia, you see. Which is why I'm here. To see if you might..."

"Your time would be better spent looking for a solution to the problem, than giving in to it– both you and Xelloss."

"Don't you think we _are_?" Zel gasped with exasperation. "In fact, I gave both of them my word that I'd get them out of it...and I have a couple ideas. Getting contracts dissolved is no easy task, especially when the person holding Xelloss to the syndicate agreement is unknown and unknowable. The key, as we've determined, is to get Kiki's parents to void it. Aside from that, besides dying, there's nothing Xelloss can do. In the meantime..." Zel cleared his nervous throat. "I'd like to date your daughter, with Kiki and Xelloss along as well."

Phil still hadn't given him a sign.

"What was he thinking?" Zel wondered.

"What do you young men have planned?"

"For the double-date?" Zel guessed. To the mayor's nod, he answered, "Dinner and dancing." As an afterthought he added, "You are welcome to come along, if you want."

"Ho,ho!" Phil grinned. "I might just do that!"

"What?" Zel gasped. He hadn't thought the old guy would take him up on that. Well, two can play at this... "Then you will have to supply your own date. I'm not in the dating service, sorry, and no singles. That would mean you'd be looking to pick up someone and that...hanging out picking up chicks... well, it wouldn't fit into our wholesome plans for the evening. Understand?"

Zel looked so stern, so serious, and the action was so unanticipated that Philonel was caught wordless and unprepared.

Zel had meant it all as a joke, but now regretted his offhand manner. He wasn't Xelloss, whose occasional flippancy was overlooked, if not allowable. With each passing beat of his heart, he was wishing that he'd never come.

Then Phil began to laugh. It started deep within his chest and rumbled around until it broke free of its restraints, exploding in a half-bark, half-holler. "Ho, ho, ho...ha, ha, ha..."

He was so loud, the windows shook and rattled, and there weren't any in the room– they were shaking in the front hall!

"Daddy!" Amelia's tiny voice cried out. The laughing resounded throughout the house so that from her room she couldn't tell if he was shouting in pain or anger or what. "Where are you? OH!" What was Zelgadiss doing here?

Zelgadiss was smiling and so was her daddy.

"Ah, my darling daughter...come here." Phil clasped her small body to his strong, tall one. "This young man would like to take you out for an evening of dinner and dancing. Would you like that? You'd be doing your friends Kiki and Xelloss a favor by going with them."

Amelia was happy to accept.

While he was on a roll, Zel added, "We're liable to be late."

"Oh? Why's that?" Phil countered.

"Xelloss wants to make sure we get some ballroom dancing in, and that begins at ten-thirty or eleven. Dragging him away will be difficult."

"Well, you tell him to remember the Cinderella story. At midnight, magically, everything goes back to the way it was; you boys will turn into a pair of mice, easily devoured by the hungry, mad father cat if the princess-in-disguise isn't home." He grinned, but he was serious. Phil tapped his cell phone. "If there's a problem getting her home on time, call."

"Yes, Sir!" Zel gulped. "Ah, I'll see you tomorrow night, then, Amelia. Bye. Thank you Sir!"

* * *

Puzzling Friends

"Well, I gotta go before Filia starts ta call wonderin' where I am. Damn, she's a demandin' woman," Val grumbled, but Xelloss ignored him. Val wasn't in danger of being walked all over by Filia; he was a handful himself, plus he appeared to enjoy being indispensable to her. "Take care of the _little girls_," Val added in a teasing tone.

That made Xelloss look up from adjusting his tie, but he only returned a smirk, and then asked, "Does this look straight to you?"

Val grinned, "As straight as you _ever_ look."

An exasperated sigh escaped his pursed lips. "You _are_ in a mood. I'm glad you're heading out to the clan for the weekend. Don't let the door _hit_ you on the way out."

Val blurted out his he-haw laugh, and then controlled it enough to take another stab at his friend. "I was waiting to say goodnight to yer _date_. Ah, here _he_ comes now!"

"Val, go to hell," Zel recommended.

"He was just on his way, right Vally-boy?" Xelloss asked with a smile.

"Ah, gotta get outta this geekfest. See ya Monday!" Val chuckled and loped out to his caravan.

It didn't take a shrink to tell that Zel was bothered by something. He had been, Xelloss hesitated to say, 'upbeat' of late. Zelgadiss could be a study in contrasts. _What had changed that?_

Oddly, it was Zelgadiss who ventured forth. "Xelloss, ah..." He plunked himself onto the couch with a sigh.

"At your service, my good man," Xelloss perched on the arm expectantly. "What may I assist you with on this pleasant evening?"

The corner of Zel's mouth turned up slightly. "Did you ever wonder about yourself? You know, have doubts...?"

Xelloss snickered. "More like, when _haven't_ I? But you mean about something specific, right?"

Zel nodded. "It would be easier to explain by telling you what happened at the shrine." He paused before continuing.

"Miwan, you mean." Xelloss' eyes twinkled before he shut them in a smile. He just bet he knew what Zel was alluding to now. He decided to make it easy on his friend. "Thanks for the hints you gave me when you introduced him, by the way. I might have asked him out thinking that he was a girl, although he was even less...mature looking, shall we say, than Lina."

A rush of relief swept through Zel, his face lightening. "Yes, I thought so, too! I... ah...it took me awhile, though."

"You saved me from an embarrassing moment."

"Well, I had one of my own. No reason we should _both_ disappoint him."

"No, that was a kindness also. Not something I would have expected from the Zelgadiss I first met."

Zel started. That's right. He had misunderstood Xelloss and insulted him without apology in the past. "I was a jerk, then."

"At least you admit it!" Xelloss chuckled. "So that's all then? You were thinking that you might be gay because you were attracted to another guy? Well, it doesn't count. You liked Miwan because you thought he was a cute girl, and that's natural for a straight guy, although for you..."

Zel looked slant-eyed at his big brother. "What...?"

Xelloss laughed. "I only meant that for you to be checking out girls is a notable event!"

Zel objected. "No, it's not! I just keep my thoughts to myself!"

"Okay, then what I reeeeeally meant was that for you to confide in me about it was most unusual."

"And this is why I don't."

Xelloss dropped his smile. "Sorry, I'll try to be more serious then. Was there more to all this?"

Zel relaxed. "What you said helped. I just wondered."

"All guys go through periods of 'doubt', as you put it—leastways, that's what Dr. Lester the shrink told me. What matters is what gets you excited. Once you knew he was a guy, did you wonder what he had in his pants...and really focus on that?"

Zel was shyly shaking his head as Xelloss chatted on. "Or do you picture girls or guys when you...you know?" Xelloss nudged Zel for confirmation that he knew what activity he was referring to without becoming crude.

Zel nodded as a blush crept up from his neck.

_Got it_. Xelloss smiled and continued. "You don't have to tell me now or ever, for that matter. It's just that that's what the doctor told me. It's not your choice, necessarily; it's just how you are."

Zel broke in, "All right, then I think about girls, exclusively...especially lately. But, how about you? You said you once had...'doubts'?"

Xelloss' voice dropped and became more serious. "Of course I wondered about myself! Zelgadiss, what I went through with DuBois...often daily for months... You definitely don't want me to describe, but I will if you think it would help you decide..."

"No!" Zel blurted out. "I, ah...that's fine. I can imagine and that's bad enough."

"Good, because I might have needed therapy again to have to re-tell that stuff. So?"

Zel allowed a nervous smile to show. "I keep envisioning...um, Amelia, or at least her...body... at the worst of times."

"Only the worst?"

Zel barked out a laugh. "No! But it happens at the most inconvenient times!" He calmed down a bit then added, "I saw her completely naked in bed, you know."

The shy guy was so wide-eyed with this admission that Xelloss nearly exploded with mirth. "I figured as much!"

"And, well, she's very...mature..."

Xelloss was really trying not to laugh. "Come on, just say it 'She's hot!'"

Zel smiled. "Well, yes. She is. And it's almost a torture to be around her all the time and not..."

"Want to make mad, passionate love to her?" Xelloss slipped in.

Zel punched at his ribs lightly. "...Want to touch her, anyway."

"I doubt she'd mind, my ever-cautious friend."

"Oh, she probably wouldn't and that's another problem."

"I don't get it, Zelgadiss. _Where's_ the problem?"

"She wants a boyfriend with all the frills and I don't think I can be that way."

"By 'that way' do you mean straight or...?"

Another punch, harder this time. "We are done with that topic. We have moved on to another. I mean, I don't know if I can be the kind of guy she imagines a boyfriend should be. In fact, I'm pretty sure I can't, seeing at what you guys go through. I'm not romantic-thinking like you or out-spoken enough like Val to say what I want."

Xelloss nodded. "So, you are thinking maybe you just ought to date around... see different girls for awhile—no strings attached? Well, good luck! That's the dream of half a million guys in the Seyruun area alone! Unless they're hookers, you're going to have to put a little time and attention into each one. Maybe..." Xelloss lowered his voice as it thickened against his will. "You might have to give up a little of yourself, too."

Zel emitted another big sigh that spoke volumes. "I was afraid you'd say that. But then, I have the problem of her age and her father; that is, if I stick with just Amelia."

"Stick with? Do you like her? I mean, as in 'girlfriend', not just 'a friend' or as a lovely-naked-vision. That's what you have to decide, or just give it a try and see what happens."

"But what if she doesn't like me after that?" Zel asked lamely.

"Then you'll have to work harder for the next one." Xelloss looked up at the wall. "Which reminds me, it's time to pick up our dates. Are you ready?"

"Ready as ever," Zel said.

"Remember, you'll get to dance with Kiki, too."

That brought a sly smile to Zel's face.

"But remember also, my good man, when you are dancing with Kiki, I will be dancing with Amelia." Xelloss waggled his eyebrows in an exaggerated way. "And I have my ways!"

Xelloss jumped out of the way of Zel's punch this time and ran laughing out the door. "My ways! I'll have her in my arms _wanting _me by the end of the evening. Just you _see_!"

Zel chuckled along with him but inside there was the tiniest little snippet of worry tickling at his self-confidence.

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 39.


	40. Double Date and a Wedding

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 40 **

**Double Date and a Wedding **

**_It is folly to live poor and die rich.—Scottish proverb_**

* * *

Dinner and a Dance – A farce in four parts

Part 1, Zelgadiss, a puzzle in himself

"Some people are more complex than others."

"Oh? Like you, I suppose," Zel ventured.

"Of course, but I was thinking of you right now, as per our previous conversation." Xelloss smiled at the strange guy he called 'little brother' seated in the back seat of the security-driven limousine. "It was if someone chopped up two or three other guys..."

"_Chopped_ up? Oh well...make that ten while you're bloody-well bloody chopping up people," Zel muttered in a faux English accent.

Xelloss chose to ignore him. "Okay, just two others plus the original you. The original one...all happy, smart, and witty. Then a hard-nosed, aloof guy to shield your feelings from the outside world. And then this other guy..."

"You are still talking about me?"

"Then the other guy with the alien looks, rock-star attitude, and slippery talents. You take those three guys and then magically combine them all together and get one new Zelgadiss. What do they call those creatures of legend? Chimeras!"

"So now you say I'm a chimera. That's very...reassuring, Xelloss."

"Yeah? I think it explains you better than just the part-elf thing. Although, that one guy was once definitely elf."

The two exchanged stupid expressions.

"Well, you're entirely sneaky-demon in disguise."

Xelloss grinned. "Good disguise, though. Now, what's _that_ look for?"

"You were just kidding about the Amelia thing, am I correct in assuming that? I remind you, that you two have been good friends for the past year."

"You mean my 'hitting on' your girl, oh excuse me..._not_ your girl. You don't have or want a girl. So, I guess she's fair game. She's a smart one. I'll just be me and let her choose." He moved closer to Zel and whispered, "And if she shows up naked in my bed, I won't be in such a hurry to drive her home!"

Now he was joking, mostly, and Zel knew it, or hoped that was the case, but it still turned into a childish punching match in the back seat for the next few minutes.

"Ah, guys?" Rodimus interrupted their 'good times'. "Mayor's place. Doesn't one of you have a girl to pick up here?"

* * *

Part 2, Xelloss lets the games begin.

The girls were thrilled to be driven about in a limousine. "Daddy insisted that we have a security man with us and since it would be a bit too tight in Zelgadiss' car with five of us..."

"Impossible," Zel corrected.

"Then...Xelloss? Was it you who arranged for this car?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, do you like it?"

"_Mais__, oui!_" Kiki giggled in a light musical way. "And the flowers, they are so very nice, too. Thank you Zelgadiss."

He returned her smile. Xelloss handled the transportation and dancing arrangements; Zel the flowers and dinner. It was simpler that way and ensured that neither one had an unfair advantage from the start, but they hadn't thought of it that way, yet, leastways Zel hadn't. They hadn't thought that they were in a competition, yet. Neither boy was terribly good at sharing things like rooms, computer resources, or Lina's attention, so it hadn't occurred to either of them that they might not be able to share this date without their natural competitive natures surfacing. They had done things together before successfully. This was just another thing. No girl could come between them, right?

Both the young men and women were amusing and polite at the table. They knew how to act appropriately at a fine restaurant. Zelgadiss had chosen a Mediterranean-themed place (not French, which was in Xelloss' area of expertise!), called the Adriatic, whose menu was written in the language of Seyruun, further providing an even playing field. And so, with the teams lined up, oblivious as most of them were that they were players at all, the game was about to begin.

While waiting for their orders to be delivered, the two couples sipped at their ice water, chatted familiarly, waiting for the play-maker to get the ball rolling.

"You look so nice, Zelgadiss. You both do. But I don't think I've ever seen you in a suit before." Kiki smiled first at Zel then Xelloss.

"Ah, thanks..." Zel muttered, becoming tongue-tied.

"You look ravishing...both of you," Xelloss said smoothly, his eyes lingering on Amelia's plunging neckline a moment longer than she was comfortable.

Zelgadiss kicked his foot under the table and glared over his glass.

_Bingo!_

"It's not my usual Slayers gear, is it?" Amelia said trying to change topics and hide her blush. She placed her glass to a spot between her and Xelloss, hoping it might distract him. "Which reminds me, Filia called just before you pick me up to say that the prototypes for our plushies arrived at her house. She says they are so cute!"

Appreciative for the diversion, Zel carried the ball for awhile. "That was quick. I was hoping Lina wasn't serious about those. Mine was ridiculous." Zel sat back in his chair and looked across the table at Amelia. Before he could finish his thoughts, his attention drifted. It took all his resolve to keep eye contact and not allow his eyes to travel lower to admire her anatomy. He closed his eyes in torment_. Why me? Why now?_

All this was not lost on Xelloss; he did not miss a single anguished nuance in his friend's expression. Zelgadiss was in a state of delightful torment. _Best to follow up on that right away._

"Is that a new necklace you're wearing?" Xelloss leaned toward her to see it better.

"Yes. It was a gift from Daddy for my birthday."

"Nice. Whose picture's in the locket?" Xelloss asked again. _Time to make a move..._

"A miniature of my mother holding me as a baby. It's almost too small to see her face, but I know it's her!" Amelia replied.

"Very nice workmanship. Would you like a look, Zelgadiss?" Xelloss held the delicate chain between his fingertips ever so close to her skin, keeping Amelia immobilized. Then he winked.

"Xelloss, sit back. Your food's arrived." Zel added a less-than-gentle push, his chin down to hide a faint blush.

Xelloss would have returned a smart quip, but Kiki spoke up first. "Oh, mussels! They look so pretty and match your hair, Xelloss."

Breaking off a hunk of bread, Xelloss prepared to sop up some of the fragrant broth. "They do? Ha! Hope my appetizer doesn't spoil your appetite."

_"Non_, my beautiful fried sweet potatoes look good, want to try a taste?"

An undeclared timeout occurred while their appetizers were served. They all traded samples and declared each dish 'perfect'. These were efficiently followed without pause by the next course. When the main courses arrived, Amelia and Zelgadiss dove into their squab with black cherries with gusto. "Such tiny birds!"

Xelloss went vegetarian with an eggplant ragout, while Kiki tasted her lamb brochettes. "This is all so delicious, but so rich," she declared.

Kiki and Xelloss traded plates mid-way through and seemed better satisfied.

"It seems so quiet without Mr. Val and Miss Filia," Kiki began.

"And peaceful without Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry fighting over food," Amelia finished. "I used to do that too, until I watched them and learned how upsetting it can be for everyone else at the table."

"Usually it cleared the room," Zel noted wryly. Amid chuckles, he went on, "So, Kiki, will you be working in your aunt and uncle's pastry shop?"

She looked serious, mouth drawn. "I want to. I like to be independent, have my own money, and go where I like, but with my parents here, it's ...they don't want me to do 'menial work', they call it. So, for now, I do nothing. Go to school." She glanced up and over to Xelloss. "When we...marry...I'll be able to do what I please. You agree?"

Xelloss paled slightly, then answered, "Whatever you want." He sneaked a sideways look at Zel.

Zelgadiss answered him with a self-satisfied smirk.

An uncomfortable silence followed, broken only by slurps, crunches, and gulps. They passed on salads, agreeing with Xelloss that they'd rather wait for the dessert cart to roll by. The choices were staggering. So many, so good... Xelloss chose three, Amelia two, the others one each.

"You don't think you might be over doing it a bit?" Zel asked him.

"I might be, but since you're paying..." he smiled and filled a spoon with creamy mousse. The return of his smile signaled that the game clock was back on. "Taste this," he offered Amelia.

"Ummmm, oh...that's..."

"Decadent," Xelloss purred. "Even se-duc-tive..."

Amelia giggled.

"What did you choose?" Kiki asked Zelgadiss.

Zel stabbed at his tiramisu irritably. "I don't know."

"Try this one." Xelloss cut a slice of tender cake, slathered it in the raspberry puree and topped it with a dollop of molten chocolate. Holding it only halfway to Amelia's mouth forced her to lean in closer. He cupped her chin with his free hand and propelled his fork to her lips. "Open wide..." Amelia closed her eyes and allowed the flavors to melt on her tongue and smiled, a rapturous expression extending from ear to ear. "Oh...my..." Her eyes flashed open when she felt a finger rub gently across her lower lip.

"Mine..." he murmured and sucked his finger clean of the chocolate drip.

Zelgadiss felt the heat rising up through his chest. Had they been in a less public place, he would have punched Xelloss in the face. Instead, he was relegated to something more covert.

"Ah, sorry!" he said. He picked up his overturned water glass, now covered in raspberry sauce on one side. The cake, floating in water and sporting a slice of lemon, was ruined. "At least it didn't spoil the other two desserts."

Xelloss frowned and realigned himself in his chair. Their eyes met. "That was uncalled for," Xelloss' glare signaled silently.

"I think it was _demanded_. Lay off Amelia," Zel's look meant.

Xelloss smiled and signaled one last silent message: "Gotcha!"

Zel picked up the bill and pulled out his wallet. "Time to move on."

"Can you wait for us?" Amelia cried out. She grasped Kiki by the arm. "Powder room!"

"Fine," Zel answered to their retreating backs, then trapped Xelloss at the exit. "YOU! Keep your hands to yourself. She doesn't get what you're up to. It's also rude to Kiki to be flirting blatantly with her best friend like that."

Xelloss smiled with maddening satisfaction. He leaned in and said in a low voice, "I am so bad..." then straightened and added with a devilish wink, "Then you'd best find it in yourself to distract the young lady."

"What do you mean? Which one?"

"It's your choice. Pick one. Ah, here they come back... Ladies! Shall we depart his establishment and dance the night fantastic!"

As Xelloss made a grab for Amelia, Zel insinuated himself between the two of them and took her arm instead, leaving Xelloss with Kiki. "This way..." he said as he led the way out the restaurant door. He wasn't the gamer Xelloss was, but he was quick enough to even the score, right?

* * *

Part 3, Amelia, showing some assets.

By the time they were dropped off at the dance club, they only had a few minutes to find a table and order drinks before the music venue changed in preparation for the monthly ballroom dancing. Time for round two.

"Miss Amelia, would you like to dance?" Xelloss smiled and gestured out to the expansive floor which was rapidly filling with mostly older couples.

Zelgadiss had his drink to his mouth, missing the opportunity to interpose his own invitation.

"Okay, Mr. Xelloss." Without a backward glance, Amelia took his out-reached hand and floated away.

Zelgadiss thought he would wait out the first number. He had eaten more rich food than usual and his stomach was acting up. He explained this to Kiki, who understood. So they sat and watched the other dancers.

"They certainly dance well together. Do you do this often? I had lessons, but I'll be an awful partner," Kiki appeared dismayed.

Zelgadiss assured her that he was not nearly as good as Xelloss. "He's studied and practiced for years. Don't worry. He makes all his partners look good. I, on the other hand, can only promise not to trip you. I think the next number's about to begin. Would you like to give it a try?" He thought that she was a bit blue and put it down to Xelloss pointedly choosing to dance with Amelia, snubbing her, his own fiancée.

Kiki smiled and followed his lead.

"Just keep talking," he said to her, "I, ah, love your accent." How and why he said that, he had no idea, but he topped it of with a delightful blush that made Kiki laugh musically and say something in French. Even his ear tips were pink!

Meanwhile, Xelloss had not been idle.

"You are taller than Lina," Xelloss chuckled to Amelia. "She fits under my chin." He pulled her closer to demonstrate. With his mouth at her ear he said in a low voice. "And much softer."

"If you're trying to make me blush, Mr. Xelloss, you have succeeded."

He was. She did. Good for starters!

A few moments later, he teased her pencil-thin strap causing it to slip down, baring her shoulder. As she moved to pull it back up, he tightened his hold on her hand. "Neh, eh, eh!" he checked her struggles with a smile.

"Xelloss! What's got into you tonight?" Amelia asked. There was still humor in her voice. She wasn't really angry, just a bit uneasy. She giggled nervously.

"Me? Nothing...you, maybe...I consider you to be one of my closest friends. Did you know that? Yes, that's good. So, can I tell you a secret?" This he whispered into her ear, "You look very beautiful tonight, Miss Amelia." His eyes cracked open as he caught hers in a started upwards glance. "Older and very alluring. I had never noticed that about you before."

"Eep!" Why was he acting so...aggressive? Never had he been this way around her before. Teasing, yes, but not as if he was her boyfriend. The strap was tickling her arm and she stole a glance at it, and was startled to see how immodest she was. Immediately she looked back up at Xelloss to catch his expression, and was nonplused to find his eyes sweeping across her exposed shoulders and low neckline. Gods, how embarrassing! Then it occurred to her that Zelgadiss must have told him about their little 'encounter'. Oh! Could it be that Xelloss now thought she was 'easy'? What must he think? Or Zelgadiss! Had he seen them? Oh...no... Her face must have shown exactly what she was thinking because Xelloss loosened his hold, pushed the strap back into place, and chuckled softly as he waltzed them away from where Zelgadiss and Kiki were occupying the dance floor.

Zelgadiss found Kiki to be a little taller and less curvaceous than Amelia, but an adequate enough dancer to follow his light-footed, uninventive lead. He took a deep breath to release some tension and sensed a familiar scent. "Lavender?" he said aloud.

"Hmm? Yes, it is my perfume, you like?"

He was about to say that it smelled like Xelloss' hair shampoo, but thankfully caught himself in time. "Ah, yes. Does your family distill that oil as well as make wine?" A safe topic!

"In a way. We have many acres in _Provence_ planted in grapes and lavender, even some olive orchards--roses, too. We make the wine, but another family has the extraction business. _Parfumeurs_, near _Grasse_. They make soaps and..."

"Shampoo? Yes, I recognized the scent from that."

"Oh? You would like the shampoo? Of course, it won't make your hair more colorful. It's greenish." She smiled and laughed light-heartedly with him.

Zel was enjoying himself, finally. Her easy disposition helped him to relax. Comfortable now with the technical parts of the dancing and conversation, he was able to take in the sights, including his friends not far off. Amelia! His eyes narrowed involuntarily. She certainly seemed to be enjoying herself. Was she over-heated, or blushing? Pretty cozy, his two friends...

Xelloss... that bastard. Zel knew that Xelloss deeply resented the forced attachment to Kiki, and Zel decided that Xelloss earlier 'scenes' had been a form of acting out because of that. Xelloss was hurting Kiki's feelings, maybe not intentionally...maybe. But it was wrong of him to do so, nevertheless. Kiki wasn't responsible! She was trapped, too! She deserved better treatment. First, he'd practically ignored her at dinner, flirting outwardly with Amelia, and then he had slighted her by asking Amelia to dance first. And now... _Could he possibly squeeze Amelia any tighter? Hey, what's with the dress? That's a great deal more décolletage than a sixteen-year-old should be showing! _

And what bothered Zelgadiss the most, was that Amelia didn't seem to be bothered at all! He turned Kiki's back to the other pair. When he examined Kiki's pretty face, he thought she looked disappointed. Didn't Amelia think about her friend looking on? How could she not realize how inconsiderate she and Xelloss were being? _Oh, no._..Kiki looked like she might start crying any second.

Amelia' eyes were locked on Xelloss', and then they turned away and were lost in the crowd.

Kiki hadn't been certain before, but now she was– Xelloss was infatuated with Amelia! He hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her at lunch a few days ago. And that song he'd sung at the resort gig! '_Just hold me one more time so I can close my eyes remembering how you feel...before we say goodbye... Seems I always think of you, most of all...on a rainy day.'_ He was singing it to her, to Amelia, telling her good bye. It must be true! Oh, how awful that must be for them! Kiki felt so bad for both her friends. She wasn't too happy about her own situation, but for them, it was a tragedy. She fought back the tears threatening to break at any time.

"Lets go outside for some fresh air," Zelgadiss suggested. Well, he would try and make her evening as best as was possible under the circumstances.

* * *

Part 4, Kiki with the end game, _c'est__ fini_.

Xelloss steered Amelia back toward their shared table as the music tapered off, but he didn't see Zelgadiss or Amelia. "There they are," Amelia pointed to one of the French doors to the atrium courtyard, often open even in winter for fresh air and smokers.

"Oh?" A tiny line formed between his eyebrows. _Where was Zelgadiss going now? What in the gods-given-world was he up to? Why wasn't Zelgadiss saving his beloved Amelia from his evil clutches? Certainly he'd done enough to rile the guy and he knew Zel cared for his little princess– he had to! He'd gone to so much trouble here tonight. _

Amelia, a bit ticked off by Xelloss' manner toward her was about to tell him off, when she noticed a rare look of desperation, irritation, and disbelief pass over his face. Oh, poor dear! His best friend's taking off with his fiancée. Of course, he deserves it, she thought. "I wouldn't mind some fresh air too." When it came to Zelgadiss, she knew expectations of romance were unlikely, but she wanted to put a little more distance between herself and this oddly disturbing version of Xelloss.

So, they circled the hall and exited the building.

Kiki was sniffing and dabbing at her eyes while Zelgadiss stood near feeling ineffective and wondering what to do. When Amelia appeared, Kiki opened her arms and cried, "Oh, Amelia!" certain that Amelia had danced her last time with her true love.

Amelia fell into her friend's arms with a matched, "Oh, Kiki!" equally sure the poor thing was heartbroken over Xelloss' bad treatment and that in some way she had contributed to her grief.

Zelgadiss now believed that Amelia had taken on more than she could handle, encouraged Xelloss, and that he had gone too far. Xelloss was the adult and should have known better– Zel had told him so many times. "So help me, Xelloss, if you messed with Amelia..." he growled in a low voice.

"Well, I was hoping you'd notice..." Xelloss began in a near-whisper of his own.

But Zel wasn't finished with him. "What's with you anyway? Kiki's upset with you...and for good reason. What makes you think that you can just ignore her the way you have and expect her to just take it? I really don't know what goes on in that demonic little brain of yours." He jabbed Xelloss in the shoulder to accent his words.

"Hey!" Xelloss frowned. Things weren't going as smoothly as planned. _Zelgadiss should be all over Amelia, but instead he was interceding on Kiki's behalf... for some imaginary slight of mine?_

"It's just so sad...I didn't know. Amelia, why didn't you tell me? I'd understand." Kiki poked Xelloss in the belly. "Why didn't YOU tell me?"

Xelloss gasped. "Me? Tell you what?"

But Amelia had him beat and interrupted with her own tirade. "Well, you should have asked Kiki to dance first, you know. I'm sure Zelgadiss was trying to console her, but it's your _fault_." She dug her fingernails into his arm while gripping it intensely.

"Owww," Xelloss whined.

"It's your _fault_ she's hurt," Zel repeated.

"If you don't tell me important things like that, how will I know? It's your _fault_!" Kiki cried out.

"What did I dooooooo?" he moaned.

Kiki held his hand gently. "You should have told me how in love you and Amelia were. I would have understood. It's too terrible seeing you both struggling to be so brave."

"What?" Amelia gasped. "Oh no!"

Zelgadiss was staggered. "Huh?"

"Please, Zelgadiss, we must find a way to break my engagement! It's more important than ever! Both of our good friends' futures are at stake! True love must be preserved!" Kiki cried urgently, clasping his hands in hers and staring, wide-eyed up at him in all earnestness.

"My dear, that's very kind of you, but Amelia and I are really just good friends..." Xelloss began.

"And barely that, at this moment!" Amelia appended. "If you didn't really like me, then why were you acting that way? Certainly not to make Kiki jealous, were you Mr. Xelloss?"

"Ah...well, no. That wasn't my intention..."

"You were just toying with our affections? That wasn't nice at all!" Amelia slapped his arm away. "Don't touch me!"

"Is that true?" Zel asked him. "Have you been playing some game with these girls, our friends?"

_Well, duh, Zelgadiss, and don't you pretend you weren't a player as well._ Xelloss didn't say that, of course. Xelloss couldn't believe that his plan to get Zel to admit his feelings to Amelia had failed miserably, so far. "Ah...well..."

With a snort of disgust, Zel said, "I see. Amelia? Kiki? Shall we go? It's too late for a movie, but I know a bookstore with a coffee shop near the university, if you're interested?"

Kiki took one arm and Amelia wrapped his other around over her shoulders. "Sounds fun, Mr. Zelgadiss. As long as we don't forget the time."

As he stood there, watching his friends leave together, Xelloss sighed and leaned against a wall. So, his dear little brother got both girls in the end. Well done. It hadn't turned out exactly as he had expected, but close enough. He checked his watch. Not too late to call John for a ride home. "Hello? John? Yeah, can you get away from your watchdog job at the college residence long enough to give me a ride? Oh, home will do. I'm at the uptown dance club. Sure, thanks."

Xelloss pocketed his cell phone and walked out to the entrance to await his ride home.

Zelgadiss gave the limo driver directions then settled into his seat beside both girls. He could appreciate Xelloss' attempts to control the evening's outcome to his benefit, even if he didn't approve of his underhanded methods. Xelloss was good, but this time, he was better.

Game over. But it wasn't a match.

* * *

A Late Winter Wedding

One good deed deserves another and another...

"Hey, thanks, man, for picking me on short notice."

"No problem, Xelloss. I told you to think of this car as part yours after you gave it to me." John started the engine and set off from the dance club. "So, your ride take off without you?"

"Something like that. I lost; he won and took both girls with him."

"Ouch! Date-tas-trophe in the extreme!" John laughed.

"Tell me about it," Xelloss smiled. "So, life treating you okay?"

"By 'life' if you mean 'love life' then, not great."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

John sighed. "Nuriko's fine, but...I don't get that Miaka-thing that bunch of guys have got going on. That, plus he's busy with the band lots, and I'm stuck at the residence on the job. It's hard getting close."

"I understand that. Sorry..." Xelloss looked at John analyzing his mental state.

"I'm fine about it, really. Lonely, but I'm not broken up about it." John knew not to mention Candy/Laila at all.

"Okay, then I just met this guy you might like. You share a few things in common. I met him at the shrine. Nice, legal, and very pretty."

"Legal you say?" John asked tentatively not taking his eyes off the road.

"He just turned eighteen a week ago, although he looks younger, got kicked out of his house/ran away, and is now staying temporarily at the shrine."

"Interesting. Too bad I haven't the time or the money to follow up on him."

"Well, that's where I come in. You see, I've got some work in a building I'm turning into a recording studio. Cleanup, hauling...I have a construction company to do the heavy work and rebuilding, but there's plenty of other stuff to do. Oh, and it comes with a loft some druggies recently parted from in the same building, which needs some attention. Big place...with four bedroom-type places, I think."

John stopped the car in front of Val's place. "Xelloss, are you offering me what I think you are? A job and place to move...and a roommate? I haven't even met this guy!"

"I can solve that!" Xelloss giggled. "But, yes...all that. I got him a temporary priest's room at the shrine, but he needs an alternative pretty quick. And, whatever that is, he shouldn't live alone. He's new in town. You could introduce him around. The place isn't far off campus...um...it has a garage..." he listed.

John smiled, "Okay, let me meet the guy first and...then we'll see, okay? It sounds too good to be true. Awesome."

Xelloss shrugged.

"Xelloss, who are you? I know I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but where did a kid without parents come up with cash for a recording studio, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Inheritance?" Xelloss said with a smile. "Just a ..."

John stopped him with a finger to his lips. "You are not just a fortunate guy. You are something special and I hope...no, I know you'll find the right girl to complete your life someday."

Xelloss nodded. "Thanks. I hope I do. But what I was going to say, was that for your own sake who I am and how this all comes about... Well, it's a secret, but its all aboveboard and on the level. Oh, and thanks for the ride. I'll call you tomorrow with a time and place to meet Miwan."

"Miwan, huh?"

"Chinese. 5'6'', black hair to here. Good sense of humor, polite, smart, likes to cook, artsy..."

"Okay, okay! I like him already. Call me later!" John laughed, waved, and drove off.

Xelloss opened the front door to hear the kitchen phone ringing. "Hello!" He gasped after running to catch it on the last ring before the message system clicked in. "Yes, it is. Who's this? Milgasia? What a surprise. Listen, Val's not here, isn't he with you? You don't want him? Who, me? Whatever for?" He listened a few minutes, becoming amused. "Ho! The honor is all mine. So, I join Val and your bride-to-be's brother as an usher and Julian is the best man? Are you sure your clan-folk won't try to run me out with pitchforks or something?"

"That's being dealt with, besides, I am their leader and it is my wedding, a private matter." Milgasia was not budging on his decision to include Xelloss in his ceremony.

"Being 'dealt with' you say?"

"You do not want to know the details."

"You won't tell me, you mean. Okay... So, who's presiding? And tell me about the girls...bridesmaids, starting with the maid of honor."

Milgasia cleared his throat. "Ahem, well... Luna is the Knight of the Cephied Clan, so she conducts the ceremony. Milli's best friend will be the matron of honor- she's married. Ah, there's just the three ladies: Filia and two of Milli's nieces."

"Milli? Millificent?"

"Um, short for Millstone. Her brother's name is Slate."

"Desert people, right?"

"That's right." Milgasia was a man of few words, but after having lived with Zelgadiss, similarly taciturn, Xelloss had learned how to draw out the type into a conversation.

Xelloss smiled into the phone. "No 'Ferns' or 'Violets'?"

"No. Rocks, minerals, rock formations mostly. Old names are popular, as well. Her friend's name is Aggy, short for Agatha or Agate, I have forgotten. Her nieces are Penny and Polly."

"Paeonifolius and Polyphemus?"

"Penelope and Pollyanna."

"Ah..." Xelloss chuckled. "I was going too far back."

Milgasia chuckled, "Yes. You will keep things refreshing on the settlement, I'm sure."

"I shall try!" Xelloss laughed. "No, I will be on my best behavior. I don't want to mix it up on the settlement. There's some tough old ladies out there!"

"Don't you know it! But at least one of them is your ally and promoter. And, no, I'm not going to tell you who. So, you have the date on your calendar?"

Xelloss looked on the wall. "Val's got it up already. Whoa, we gotta gig that night."

"Val and I have already discussed it and you will have plenty of time. You will come up with Luna, Val, and Filia after school Thursday. That night we'll have a practice run-though and dinner. Friday, actually, I have several appointments and business to attend to. The wedding is at eleven the next day. You can stay for the reception afterwards as long as you want, then take off."

"And my clothes..."

"Formal clan attire for the others; you should wear your priest attire, sans staff."

"I shall dust off my cloak and shine my shoes then!"

"Gloves as well."

"Oh, okay," Xelloss answered. "So, where are you two going on your honeymoon?"

Milgasia was quiet for awhile. "I suppose that is up to me to plan..."

"Oh, let me, let ME!" Xelloss chortled merrily. "What does Milli like? Is she an outdoor-sy person? Big city? Theater? Strip clubs? Spas? Exotic locales?"

"_Strip clubs_? Where do you come up with your material? Ah... She likes rain and the out-of-doors. She's wanted to see the beach, anything but the desert. Mostly, she likes privacy. No crowds."

"I know just the place, and it's a part of your clan's property as well!" Xelloss announced happily.

"Oh?"

"Wolfpack Island. It had a lovely resort. What if I got a crew to fix up a honeymoon suite, fire up the kitchen, dining hall, and bring in some entertainment...music...dancing each evening of your stay. There's miles of trails, although it's probably too cold for swimming."

"It does sound suitable. How do we arrange all this in so short a time?" Milgasia wondered.

"That's a secret!" Xelloss sputtered, and then laughed. "I'll make a few calls. It's really no trouble at all. I will need the master key set, however."

"Really? You didn't secret a skeleton key to the place somewhere?"

"No, I gave them all to you, as promised."

"All right. I'll drop them off at your house tomorrow. I have other business in town."

"Okay, but call first and use my cell phone number. I may not be in the house. There's band practice, I'm introducing two potential roommates, lots of things happening here and abouts." Xelloss checked his watch. It was after twelve midnight. He wondered if Zelgadiss got his girls in on time. Ah...the limo was parking out front. "Yeah, night then. Bye."

He hung up the phone and trotted to the front door to meet his little brother.

"Hello, hello, hello!" Xelloss greeted him.

"Oh, hi, Xelloss."

"I have interesting news! Milgasia just called and I'm to be in his wedding. I'm an usher!"

"Congratulations. Looking forward to it, are you?"

"Yes, I am, little brother. Practice for my own. So, your turn. How was your dub-date? Were you able to come to any conclusion? Did you pick one?"

Zelgadiss walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. "Well, as long as you are engaged, my choices are limited to one. I will not date Kiki as long as there is a possibility that you two might become married. Although, I have an idea which might prevent it from happening."

"You do? What, pray tell?"

"Lina and I spoke on this topic and decided that what everyone wanted were your heirs...children. However, if you were unable to produce...heirs, then that just might make you an unsuitable mate, am I right?" Zel met Xelloss' eyes.

Sadly, Xelloss shook his head. "Yeah, but I was already 'tested' at the doctor's office...complete physical and all. I am not sterile, and they know it. Sorry...it was a good idea, though."

"Damn!" Zel turned away, slamming his fist onto the counter. "I was hoping we could fake some lab work..."

"No hard feelings, then...about tonight?" Xelloss asked him.

"No, life's too short. But Amelia was pissed. You are going to have to especially kind to her in the near future."

"I'll bake her a cake."

"That's not what I meant, although it would be a good trick to learn. She's very conscious of her sister's, um... appeal and doesn't wish a similar reputation."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult her in any way. She is lovely, really, Zelgadiss. You are lucky she cares for you the way she does."

"I know..."

Xelloss stepped to his brother's side and took a more serious tone. "My psychologist would call you 'love avoidant'. Yeah, you are attracted to inaccessible women and avoid the realities of an actual relationship with one that likes you."

Zel sank into a chair, head in hand.

"Talk to Dr. Lester. Maybe he can help you get to the reasons behind it."

* * *

Clan Wedding Preparations.

"I can't believe we are sharing an important occasion like our Clan leader getting married with...him!" Filia was complaining next to Val, who was driving his Suburban to the settlement.

"Who? Xelloss? The dude saved his butt on that mountainside. If he hadn't risked his own neck and gotten Mil to the hospital in time, he might still be trapped under a pile of rocks and he wouldn'ta met Miss Milli," Val reiterated for the second time that day.

"I know, but..."

"And no, he don't think a simple 'thanks man' was enough. Mil's cool, in a laid-back way. He believes in me and the good in most people, Xelloss included."

Filia, defeated, started a new discussion. "It's pretty cute, you have to admit. Mil and Milli. Miles and Millstone Milgasia. Gods what a mouthful."

"Just think of the children!" Xelloss piped up from the seat in back beside Luna. "There's Milhaus, Milfred, Miles the second, Milhantzer, Millicent, Millina, Mill..."

"Shuddup!" came a chorus of voices.

"Besides, you annoying cretin," Filia remarked when he did. "They're too old to have children. It would be...icky."

That sent both Val and Xelloss into hoots and hollers of laughter. Xelloss reminded her that her parents produced her younger brother not yet a year ago and they were possibly older than the soon-to-be-married couple. Filia pounded him on the head with a handy umbrella and screamed for him to leave her family out of it all.

Luna brought peace down upon them all, nabbing the umbrella and stowing it out of reach, and involving Xelloss in conversation. He was jittery. "Settle down, sit still and quit fidgeting.

"He's off his meds so he's always this way now," Val volunteered.

"Meds?" Luna glared at Xelloss. "What meds?"

"To control his Aye-Dee-Dee." Val again.

"Mind your own business!" Xelloss shouted. "They weren't doing much anyway."

"Possibly making life for those around you better?"

Xelloss looked askance at Luna. "So what? I'm a mess. Everyone figures that out sooner or later anyway. Why bother stringing someone along on the hopes that I'll turn out to be something I'm not?"

In what turned out to be a motherly gesture, Luna wrapped him in her arms and pulled him in for a hug. "So, it's about girls, huh? I heard you lost your girlfriend. I'm sorry about that."

"It wasn't so special. We weren't 'meant for each other' or anything like that," his voice grew thick as sobs promised to break it up. "It's just that...I'll never find anyone...who...who'll love m-me..."

Luna held him in wonder as he cried in her arms. So much sadness hidden behind those smiles.

"I'll never be married to-to the one I love..."

"Now, there..." she patted his back. "You'll be married someday...probably lots of times."

He snorted.

"He's engaged to some girl under a syndicate contract. In what...two weeks?" Val asked.

"What! That soon!" both Luna and Filia cried out.

Turning to Xelloss, Luna crooned, "Poor baby...What can we do? There must be something?"

He shook his head.

"You can kill him," Filia suggested. "He gave a gun to Zel-bob and asked him the other night to shoot him. Luckily, Val was there or he might have."

Luna didn't believe Zel would do it, nor did Xelloss or he wouldn't have asked him to do such a thing. "Oh, Xelloss...how do you get yourself into these messes, hmm? Well, I'll bet Zelgadiss has something up his sleeve. If not, I'll see to it that he does. Okay? Can you sit up now? You're getting my dress all spotty."

"S-sorry," he said hefting himself up and wiping his eyes.

Luna appraised him. "My, you are beautiful even when you cry. Why the gods wasted so much beauty on a man, I don't know."

"Luna..." It made him smile anyway.

Val and Filia groaned.

"Now, to get your mind off girls for awhile, help me with that data you stole from Gaav's base of operations. There's some material you might wish to be appraised of contained in a couple of the discs."

"Okay."

"Tomorrow. It will keep you out of trouble on the settlement."

"And out of sight," Filia added. "Ugh, and here I thought we'd have to baby-sit him all day."

"I'll take care of him," Luna said. "We'll have a good time together. Won't we?"

What could Xelloss say to that? The knight of the clan was offering to harbor and protect the enemy. "Sure, thanks, Luna," he said, and then wished like hell that she was her younger sister.

* * *

Dinner with the Devil.

The Ul Copts hosted the rehearsal dinner. It was a quiet affair. Milli's parents had both passed on years ago. Her brother, Slate, was an older, stiffer, (if possible), version of Milgasia. Similar in appearance, age and background, it was no wonder that the two men got along well. Slate thought it was commendable how Milgasia was bringing along the young inheritor of the Ancient Clan's territory, although he could hardly tolerate the boy's presence. The punk. But suddenly Val was acceptable, in light of his other company. The monster. Metallium, a name which elicited extraordinary feelings of deep-seated hatred in any clan-member's heart. That family had spread their evil and corrupted many a clan's goals. And here, sitting at the same table as he, was the scion of that woman, the one who had chased this very clan off their island!

Slate refused to sit at first, but his kind-hearted sister begged him. He relented. "As long as I don't suffer his face."

No one else paid the quiet, pale-faced, young man any heed. Luna sat to one side, Mrs. Ul Copt on the other, and Val and Filia sat facing Xelloss. Sitting nearby but out of earshot were Penny and Polly, twins, fair-haired and out of high school, studying psychology or sociology or both, he couldn't quite hear. They twittered back and forth, stealing glances his way when their imposing father wasn't looking.

Filia explained, "I said that they are going for their MRS degrees. Xelloss, come on, you're not that dumb, MRS?" She tried to shake the stupid blank look off his head with a few well-chosen words, "Missus? Husband-hunting."

"Oh." It was a new term to him.

"I think they are your age. You turned nineteen on the first of January, Xelloss?" Filia's mother asked.

"Yes," he started to say, when a familiar little voice began squawking from the other end of the house.

"Oh," the mother sighed and set down her fork.

"Stay," Xelloss insisted. "I'm finished. I can have dessert later. Everyone can speak more freely with me not at the table anyway. Besides, Quinny and I haven't played together in a long time."

"Okay, thanks, Xelloss. Now, he might not recognize you. He's at a stage where he's afraid of strangers so call me if you need help." Mrs. Ul Copt smiled up at Xelloss as he stood, thankful for the break from motherhood for a moment.

"Okay," he said and left the room.

Moments later, silence.

"You trust your son with that..." Slate couldn't find the word which both described his feelings toward Xelloss and was appropriate under the circumstances.

"That nice young man? Oh, yes, he's very gentle and playful. He, Val, and Filia are all in a band together. It's gaining considerable notoriety. You have a job on Saturday night, don't you?" she addressed her daughter.

"The band? Yeah, in Sairaag again. We have the security fixed this time so we'll be all right. Mrs. Gabriev is driving up with Joey, just in case. She's bringing Kiki too, isn't she Val?" Filia asked.

Val nodded, mouth full.

"Kiki? The French girl?" Mrs. Ul Copt asked.

"His fiancée," Val inserted. "Xelloss is gettin' married in two weeks. Just set the date."

The faint squeals of joy from the baby filtered into the dining room.

Milgasia and the Ul Copts were aghast. "What? When?"

"They were engaged once a long time ago, remember me telling you about that?" Filia said. "He rebuilt his burned down house and gave it to them for nothing. They figured he'd done that for her and the engagement's back on. Why in two weeks? Beats me. Probably she wants to get it over with before he changes his mind. He's already got cold feet,"

"But she's just a child," her father said. "Only what...fifteen?"

"Sixteen. Yeah, well, her parents are nuts. Don't blame him! He could wait for like forever. 'Course, his mother was really young when he was born..." Filia stopped. For a minute there she had forgotten just who she was talking about and how vile a woman Zelas was to the clan. "Anyway, it's Kiki's mother who's pushing everything, not him."

"We should discuss this another time," Milgasia said conclusively. Moving the group of adults on to the living room he continued, "Slate, you were telling me about a new business venture. I believe the Ul Copts would be very interested in what you have to say."

Leaving the younger folks to fend for themselves..."So," Polly said. "Introduce us to the hot guy in the other room."

"Who? You mean Xelloss?" Filia nearly choked. "Ah, sure. You got that he's about to get married, right?"

"Yeah, but he's the drummer your band, which we know all about, and Daddy hates him because he's 'evil incarnate', which is a big plus. I mean, what could be cooler; that is, with the exception of your boyfriend?" Penny laughed at Val's grin and Filia's snort.

"Sure, meet the fruitcake. Come on."

He was rolling around on the floor with the baby.

"Yo!"

"Hey, Val... Hello, ladies." He sat up. "Filly, you didn't tell me he was walking yet."

"That's 'cause Quinny's not."

"Yeah, he is. Watch! Okay, little guy. Come get me!" Xelloss crawled to the far side of the room and remained kneeling and smiling at the baby.

Quinny used a chair to get to his feet, but then the next few steps were all on his own, ending with a giggling tumble into Xelloss chest.

"Mama! Maaaaamaaaaa! Come here! Quinny's walking!" Filia screeched down the hall.

"Congrats, dude!" Val high-fived Xelloss. "Ya got ta see his first steps."

Xelloss grinned and attempted to free his hair from the baby's grip. "I didn't know, honest!"

After Quinny's achievement was reproduced for his doting parents, the kids took off to Val's house. "I've been movin' in the last few weeks. I gotta guest room for my first guest."

"Gee, I'm honored." Xelloss smiled and addressed the twins. "I have a room in his house in town. We're inseparable!"

"Oh, pul-leese," Filia moaned and slapped his arm. "He's just kidding. I brought some cards. Everybody up for a game?"

They played cards, talked, listened to music, talked more until Filia's timer-watch went off. "Gotta go girls. Milli-one and Milli-two have got stuff for us to do starting with, ugh, breakfast at 8:00. The boys got the day off!"

Amid cries of 'that's not fair', Xelloss told them that he was working for Luna the next day, and Val started to outline his day, beginning with 'cleaning the stables'.

They parted with goodbyes, girls with Filia to stay at her house, Xelloss to stay with Val in his. "Thanks for fixing me up a bed and everything," Xelloss said with amusement as he looked over his room with a king-sized mattress on the floor, some sheets, blanket, and pillow on top. A lamp was plugged into the wall an arm's length away.

"You can sleep outside, if ya don't like the ac-com-a-da-shuns," Val said. "Want anythin'? Glass? Beer?"

"They let you have alcohol here?"

"I buy it in town. Nobody cards me an' no one here comes an' checks my refrigerator either. Here..." Val passed him a bottle. "Just one won't do nothin' but knock a light-weight like you out."

"Cheers!"

He was right. Xelloss hardly closed his eyes before he was out like a light. He thought he was dreaming when he woke up in the dark, in an unfamiliar place. "Who's there?" he gasped.

"Us..." snickered a girlish voice.

"Who?" Xelloss was still confused by his surroundings.

"Polly and Penny."

"Oh." He crept to the window, partly opened 'So that's why it's so cold in here!' and looked out. "Aren't you cold?"

"Open the door," they insisted.

Xelloss smiled. "Okay." This was unexpected. Company? He knew to be careful, these were soon to be family members of Milgasia's, on the other hand, he didn't want to disappoint twins. Twins!

He ushered both girls into his cold dark room. "So, um, you wanted to see me?"

Not exactly...

"Xelloss! For the gods'sakes get up and get dressed!"

Sunlight was streaming into the bare room, thin winter morning sun, as Luna flung back the used-shower-towel-for-curtain. "Girls! Filia's mother is looking all over for you. Get going! And I recommend that you tell everyone that you were out for an early morning walk, not here."

"Yes, ma'am!" they agreed as they hurriedly scrambled into their clothes and scurried out the door. Orders from their knight must be obeyed.

"And you..."

"What would you have me do?"

"Well at least you have the decency to look sheepish. Get dressed and come out. I'll wait outside." Luna turned and caught his eye. "Twins? Really, Xelloss, that's...a bit much."

"I agree, but you don't know your limits until you try," he smiled wistfully then waited for her to leave before flinging back the covers and searching for his clothes. "Never, never again..."

* * *

The wedding.

The wedding was a small, private affair, as was the style popular with the cult. Only close family and a scattering of friends attended. The later reception was a bigger celebration, and in the case of the marriage of the clan leader, very large. Val looked smart in his dark blue robes, Slate brooding in his. Xelloss stood out in his black priest's cloak, but looked proud. Filia was gorgeous in her blue gown with silver trim, as were the twins in their midnight-blue and gold gowns. The matron of honor matched the twins and looked elegant. Milgasia, Millstone, and Luna were dressed entirely in simple, white robes, Milli with a fine tulle veil covering her from head to toe.

The ushers lead the few invited family and friends to their seats, then stood to the side. The matron of honor entered with the groom to wait at the dais. She was followed by the bridesmaids and then the bride on the arm of the best man.

Luna entered from a side door and took up a copy of the Claire Bible and began. The wedding was moving, Luna calling on the power of Cephied to guide and protect the two through life's ups and downs, and blessing their union. She read a few particularly poignant passages, invited the pair to join hands and recite their vows. When they were finished, Luna declared them husband and wife.

Milgasia fought his way past the veil and kissed his bride in front of an audience, the first and last time he would do such a thing.

And that was it. On to the party!

Word had gotten out, purposely, that the pariah priest was quite the ladies man. Polly had told Filia who told Val...

"Dude, I hear you had vi-si-tors last night?" Val draped an arm over Xelloss cloaked shoulders and leered wolfishly.

All the blood left his face. "Ah..." Xelloss clamped his mouth shut.

"Way ta go," Val said with an accompanying punch. "You da man."

"Me the dead man if Slate finds out."

"Oh, yeah," Val chuckled at that thought.

A group of clan girls skittered up with food and drink offerings to the two most fascinating young men on the settlement. "I see why you spend so much time here," Xelloss said slyly.

"Secret's out. Most the guys here are so lame. Danger at one o'clock. Oh, and the old lady posse's on the way over, too"

Xelloss steeled himself for whatever that might be. So far, aside from his friends, the twins, and the Ul Copts, he had been ignored.

"Your duties have been discharged," Slate's hard-edged voice rumbled. "It is time for you to go."

"He's invited to the par-tay. 'Sides, I'm the driver and I'm not ready to go just yet."

Slate surveyed the lanky, green-haired youth with a sour face. "I was not speaking to you, but the sooner you are all gone the better. Syndicate slime is unwelcome on any settlement property."

Val's mood darkened. "We ain't got nothin' ta do with no syndicate, dude, so back off with the at-ti-tude."

"You are both sons of the devil. It runs in the blood." He frowned at Val. "You, the son of a crime lord thought unworthy, spurned by his own organization and..."

"Actually," Xelloss jumped in with support for his bud and quipped merrily, "Blue-blooded, Ancient clan stuff runs one hundred percent through his system, unless transfusions count, and if they do then I haven't a drop of my family left in me!"

"You wouldn't understand the evil that organization has visited on our people," Slate wasn't listening.

"Oh?" Xelloss' face darkened. He passed his drink and cake to one of the girls standing by, fumbled momentarily with the tie at his waist, then yanked up the bottom of his golden tunic, revealing his scared chest. "I think I understand all too well. I live with the reminders every day of my life!" He dropped the shirt-edge and stood defiantly. "I am not the enemy. He is not your enemy. We are, in fact, guests of the Milgasias. Your friends."

Slate stood statue-like assimilating the latest information, when Milgasia himself showed up. "Xelloss, Val, Milli and I are about to depart and we wanted to thank you for participating today. And you, Xelloss, for the Wolfpack honeymoon. Milli's very excited."

"Wolfpack? You mean the island he stole from your people?" Slate asked, his voice controlled, but the hatred still seething in his eyes.

The 'girl' holding Xelloss' drink and snack, was Mrs. Saunders, Julian's elderly mother, the woman whose garden all the Slayers boys had worked in over the summer, the one who had helped Val discover his past through her photo collection. She was also the leader of the pack. Before Milgasia had fully comprehended the meaning in Slate's question, Mrs. Saunders spoke up. "Mr. Rockforce, I don't know where you get your misinformation, but it is grossly out of date. These nice young men have brought this settlement great wealth sharing that of the Ancients with us and this nice priest of the White Shrine gifted us with the island and the means to maintain it."

"No, no..." Xelloss hadn't wanted that said. Then he recalled, it had been Gourry who had let it slip when they were working the lady's garden patch. She hadn't let on that she'd heard. Sly old lady. Well, couldn't be helped now. "Ah...well...so much for that secret..."

She ignored him and continued, "And now he's gone and fixed it all up for your sister's honeymoon...at his personal expense. What, may I ask, has your family done for your clan? No, don't tell me, it was rhetorical. Think back on your actions. You owe these two an apology."

"Don't bother," Val spat. "I feel like goin' to Sairaag now. Come on, Xelloss, lets go. You can pack the car, I'll get Filia. Mil, sorry ta spoil the party. Tell the missus, ah...ta...have fun..." then Val whispered something to Milgasia than caused the man to blush.

Xelloss waved and headed back to Val's house by the exit. Then it stuck him, how did that man know so much about Gaav? That he had been thrown out of the syndicate was not general knowledge, especially to the clans living out in the vicinity of the Ancient Clan. Only a select few knew, including those present at the meetings held here at the close of summer. Milgasia might have shared the information with Milli, and she with her brother, but it didn't seem likely somehow. It was something to think about, that plus the disturbing information he had found in the databases he had scanned and organized for Luna. Not good.

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 40.


	41. Valentine's Day

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 41 Valentine's Day**

****_It felt like, if I had been a puppy, he would have drowned me to protect the breeding line." -- _Val, on his stepfather Gaav.

* * *

Val had made it clear to Lina that he was not going to work or practice on his birthday.

**_Not this year_**.

Not after all the trouble he had gone to, risking his hard-nosed reputation and everything, and particularly the embarrassment when he had to break down and ask Xelloss for suggestions. And what was all the excitement about? Well, Val's birthday was his namesake, Valentine's Day, and he was taking Filia out-- in an impressive manner. Every time he thought about it, Val smiled. Two years ago, he'd known Lina and Nahga, some, not enough to call them friends. He had a few dance partners, drug-induced, hung-over dates, but nothing meaningful. No close friends. He had never had a girlfriend, not a real one, until now. And Filia was one high-quality girlfriend. She was gorgeous, not like one of those undernourished, artificial-looking models, but strong and tanned with a rosy glow on her cheeks from plenty of outdoor activity. She was happy, healthy, wholesome, and a bit of a spoiled, stuck-up, meddler.

**_But, could she give mas-sa-ges! Love those clan healin' arts. _**

However, oddly or not, she wasn't one to tolerate much physical contact herself– a little hand holding, an occasional cuddle on the couch, a goodnight kiss. She didn't like him hanging on her and extreme public shows of affection were out, completely. Idolization from afar was acceptable. Sometimes it made him feel like she just wore him to accessorize her attire– a lean, mean adornment. But then, when it was just the two of them, it was nice. She talked and he talked and they really connected. Oh, he realized that it might not be 'true love' or lead to anything permanent, but it was a real relationship with a girl who accepted him as is and had no expectations that he would become something he was not.

**_Whatever that was._**

Had his family survived, had he been the youngest son of five in a clan leader's family, what kind of man would he be today? Growing up as part of the privileged elite, in a loving environment, sounded like light years apart from his actual life. Better, easier for certain. But, he wouldn't have come to Seyruun, met Filia, been in the band...known Lina, who had started it all.

**_Yeah, Lina._**

After meeting her, his whole life took on new meaning and he began his ascent from the gutter.

**_Lina, whatta girl._**

Val smiled at those memories. It didn't hurt anymore to look back, mostly because when he looked forward, the prospects were brighter than ever. He put the finishing touches on his journal entry, closed it, and wondered what to do next.

**_Zelgadiss._**

He'd find him and see if he'd read it.

**_Zel would un-der-stand_**

Zel paused his computer game, mid attack, and pulled out his cell phone. "Yes? _Luna_?" he gasped her name involuntarily. "We just got in this afternoon. Xelloss ...is in the shower, I believe. _Me_? All right, what? I _have_ been trying to stop the whole wedding thing but I'm running out of alternatives. Yes, just one and it's...not a great one, believe me. All right, but again, I warn you, it's pretty lame..."

When he got off the phone, his face was paler than usual, the scars standing out starkly. He passed on eating. That could wait. He exited his computer game and ran through the steps he planned to execute next while waiting for new programs to load. Search, search, search...there had to be another way to cancel that contract and stop his best friend from ruining his life in a forced marriage.

He hadn't made any headway, when he heard Val calling for him outside his door.

"Yo, Zel! You in your room? Gotta minute or two?"

"Yes, come in." Zel minimized the internet, clearing the screen before Val could see the databases of syndicate-related information. "What's that, more poetry?"

"This? Nah, better'n that. It's my journal. Ya know, like our mu-tu-al shrink sug-ges-ted?

"Oh, of course, I knew you'd been writing in it. How's it going?"

"Pretty good. Real good. In fact, it's put some stuff in per-spec-tive. It took awhile, ta get into it. At first I was stuck tryin' to write about stuff I couldn't get outta my head right, like when I was real little. I had this dream in the caves, when I was all sick and all, about bein' there as a kid."

"Yeah? Think it was true?"

"Some, but when I try an' write it down, it goes all..."

"Insubstantial on you?" Zel suggested.

"Somethin' like that. So I just moved on and wrote about what I wanted to. Somethin' more recent and all."

"Good idea."

"Yeah, it worked anyway and now I've got a few pages."

"Congratulations," Zel added. He didn't know what else to say. Val was standing there waiting for him to say more, but what? "Was there something in particular you came to see me about?"

"Yeah, I thought you'd..." Val hesitated. Asking for a favor from a friend was difficult. All his pretentiousness got in the way at times.

_He wants me to read it_. Zel realized that he could read Val's body language pretty well. "Would you mind if I read it?" Zel asked. He found it a lot easier to swallow his pride around Val since they'd become house-mates. "I'd consider it to be an honor."

Val snorted, "I dunno 'bout all that..."

Zel continued to press his point. "Reading something personal about someone gives you insights into their inner workings. I might learn something you might not want me to know. I feel privileged that you'd trust me with that knowledge, that's all."

"Oh, yeah, well, that's right, I guess I do. So...it ain't long or nothin'. And um, sorry 'bout the bad language, but it was a different me back then. At least, I think I've changed."

Zel took the thin book in his hand and mentally weighed it. "We all have, even in the short time we've been in the band together. It's all right; I think we've all become better people, for the most part."

Val nodded. "Sure, um... I'm headin' out to the settlement then. I'll be back Sunday night as usual."

"All right. Happy birthday tomorrow. Oh, and stop by Xelloss'. He wanted to say goodbye."

"Okay. Later, dude," Val said and left the room, closing the door behind him on the way out.

Zel opened the volume and was taken aback. It was entirely hand-written in a cursive so neat and even that he had to flip through the entire thing just to see if it continued that way through to the end. It did. He smiled in thought, _Who__ would have guessed that Val had such fine penmanship?

* * *

_

_Excerpts from__ Val's Journal:_

_"Get the fk outta the way, asshole!" I growled at the kid._

_Sure, he was probably only fourteen years old. I wouldn't even be surprised if it was his first time here at the skate park. But, for some reason it pissed me off way more than usual that some little dweeb, just blindly wandering around with his head up his butt, had caused me to wipeout right after I just landed a perfect move. But, I'd been in a shitty mood all day._

_We both ended up on our asses, sprawled out over the concrete. He looked up at me in fear and surprise, like he was just about to piss his pants, or go cry to his mommy, or something. I just gave him an evil look, shook my head in disappointment, and slammed my board back on the ground as I prepared to take off again._

_"Yo, Val!" I heard, as someone called out my name from behind._

_"What?" I snapped, turning angrily. Sounded like a girl but, who knows._

_"Whoa...take it easy boss! That's Gourry Gabriev's little brother! If he finds out you've been raggin' on him, you're gonna get your ass kicked, dude."_

_"Fk off, Jillas. I'll let you know when I need your social advice." I yanked off my headband in frustration, grabbed my board and my backpack, and stormed out the gate. I plopped down angrily on a bench in the shade of a large tree, grabbed a bottle of water out of my pack, and downed it slowly. Who the hell was Gourry Gabriev?_

_Don't get me wrong...I was feeling pretty bad about hassling the kid, and then getting all in Jillas' face. He was a pretty cool guy, and he was right. I probably did have a major ass-kicking comin' my way after what I did to that Gabriev guy's little brother. Gee, I can't wait until he finds out...sigh._

_The truth is, I really was pretty angry, but it had nothing to do with what had just happened at the skate park. I'd been pissed at the world a lot lately...maybe I was just getting' cranky from not having enough sleep. But really, I knew I was just angry with myself, and taking it out on a helpless little kid and a guy who was the closest thing to a friend I really had. How pathetic is that? I was just getting so tired of this whole act of mine. I hated the fact that I felt l like I had to go around pretending to be someone I wasn't just to survive, ya know? Sometimes, I got so frustrated with my stupid life, that I felt like I might just explode. But, when I saw myself bullying that poor kid, I just totally lost it. I was so tired of myself and my sorry little act, that it just made me feel sick to my stomach all of a sudden. Gods, I wish I could just be myself, for once...but that just didn't seem possible right now. Gotta be tough or get the crap beat outta me. It's either this stupid act, or, well...bad things happen at home._

_I just sat there on the bench, staring off into space and stewing in my own anger and self-loathing for a while. I felt like some kind of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde a lot back then (Oh and yeah, I read that story, not just the moo-vee.) At times I'd be just pissed off at the world, and at other times I'd feel really depressed and disappointed in myself because of it. Ultimately, I realized I had to do something about this whole hard-ass act-- about not really being free to be myself in front of the world. I could see that my own frustration at having to put on this tough guy' act had caused me to become the one thing that I was trying to avoid, a heartless bully, and that just made me want to throw up. Literally, I mean, how fked up was that? I could feel the pressure just slowly building inside me, and I'd know some day I was really gonna lose control. I had to figure out how I was gonna keep it together here...!_

_I was just beginning my second year at Seyruun High School. I only had a few years left in this shit-hole place, and I was determined to survive them any way I knew how. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point, and I could practically taste my freedom. I was eventually gonna get out of this rut I'd run myself into, and then I would finally be free. I could start a new life in another town or maybe work part-time and go to design school or be in a cool rock band and tour the world, who knew? But move out anyway, far away from Gaav and the house of horrors. Then, I promised myself, I could finally just be me-- if I still knew who the hell I really was by that point. _

_But not yet. I had to keep up the bullshit act until I graduated, if I graduated, didn't I? I just didn't see how I was gonna make it out unless I did. I mean, if the hard-asses I lived with really knew how smart and…sensitive… I was or about my poetry, well, it scared the hell out of me to think about it. What they did to me was bad enough, until I got tough enough to fight them off._

_I looked out at all the different dudes (and a few chicks) skating and standing around shootin' the shit in the skate park. They all respected me, and they all left me alone. But, not a single one of them really knew me. Not a single one of them cared what happened to me today, tomorrow, or next year. Well, maybe Jillas did. Another dude, Gravos, too-- not a skater. Sometimes he tried to be a friend, but I never gave him the chance ta get too close. I mean, if someone got to know me too well, I knew my cover would be blown for sure. No, friends were definitely an unacceptable threat to me. I had always made sure never to allow that to happen._

_Yeah, I thought to myself sadly, I did a really good job of that. But, it sure did get fkin' lonely around here sometimes. Gods, how did I turn into such a prick?_

_Eventually I remembered just why I was here. Today was Friday after all, and I always headed to the skate park on Fridays, just to de-compress from the pressures of the week at school and home and totally lose myself in that amazing feeling of flying through the air on my board, bustin' some moves. It's about the only time I could really let some of the pressure out, and I knew that a good hard skating session was the best thing to mellow my attitude any day. I decided that I couldn't let anything get in the way of my weekly therapy' session here. But, I promised myself not to lose my temper again -- I thought that I'd already done enough damage for one day._

_Why Friday and not Saturday or any other day? Well, this truly hot chick called Lina Inverse would show up there to observe us. She don't skate or nothing, just watches and yells at us at times. She'd shout out stuff like 'Cool moves' or 'dumbass'. Encouraging stuff. She was really hot, but totally unapproachable sometimes. She hadn't put in an appearance yet, so I decided to stick around longer._

_As I was finishing up my skating workout, I stopped for a minute to wipe the sweat off my face and body with my loose t-shirt. As I tossed it down next to my backpack, I felt the sensation of being watched, somehow. My eyes scanned around looking for the source of that eerie feeling, but I couldn't place it just yet. _

_I took a few slow cruises around the concrete to cool off. The sensation of the cooler air moving across my bare skin always felt sooooo good. I never went shirtless to show off my body or anything (I had something to show off...buncha knife marks and bruises, yeah, right!), I just loved that sensation...that sense of freedom. I took my time and tied my hair outta my face again._

_On my second slow pass around the park, I finally saw her. I noticed her looking at me, and I smiled inwardly to myself. I don't know exactly why, but I just did. She was sitting on a park bench under a tree, watching us. Occasionally, she would pick up her soda for a drink or go for her bag of chips. Something in my gut told me I had to go talk to her that day and not let the opportunity pass me by. Maybe, I was just being naturally curious._

_I gathered up my stuff, passed through the gate, and casually skated along the sidewalk, slowly circling around to where she was sitting. When I reached her, she was writing in her notebook. She was turning the page and writing more. So she was a writer, eh? I stood there for a moment, like I was lost in another world. I just had this sense that something...I dunno, uh...important (?) was about to happen. I felt all the anger and frustration of the afternoon wash away from me. For some reason, I felt almost, well, glad this was happening. Pretty weird, I'll admit._

_She didn't notice me right away, so I took the chance to study her a little bit. She was maybe a foot and a half, almost, shorter than me, and probably a year or two younger by the looks of her face. A freshman, or younger, I bet. She was really thin, but not in an unhealthy looking way. Just not… built, ya know? Her long hair was flying' around and glowed red. Where it stuck to her pale skin it looked like blood. From what I could see, she was an unusually cute kid. Better looking' out in the sun than when I'd run into her at night going' to raves. I figured she was a wild thing, being with Nahga and all, but she wouldn't give me a second look after discoverin' that I was selling dope. How could I explain that I had no choice in the matter! It was either that or… well, home life sucked. I already had a record of minor thievery and loitering, nothing' too big yet, but…that would come…if I didn't get outta that place soon. I figured I'd really blown it with her. She'd never dance with me again, much less become a friend. Nah, the only way that would happen would be in my dreams, baby._

_Yeah she was real sexy sitting' there, but, she just didn't seem to carry herself in a way that brought it out. Her whole body language lacked... definition lets say. I dunno, she just had all this self-confidence and attitude that shouted 'hands off, buster! I'm one tough little girl who likes to have fun.' But here she was in the park, writing a story or something…_

_When she eventually detected my presence standing near her, she dropped her pen and notebook and jumped a little in surprise. I barely noticed her reaction, because when I finally saw her big, fire-engine red eyes staring at me, I totally lost it for a second. They just looked real dark and dangerous. Instantly, memories of some stupid nightmare flooded through my head. For some reason, all I could see in those huge eyes of hers was the same look of fearlessness and anger that haunted me almost every night in my dreams, and for a moment she was looking at me again, reminding me of the last time I ever spoke to her outside some club. It shocked me a little. Ok, well, it shocked me a whole lot._

_I'm not sure exactly, it was just something about her. She had that look, that innocence, that sweetness overlaid by a tough-as-nails exterior. Something inside me told me, demanded really, that I just had to talk to her. It was like having a chance to re-live your dream and make it happen for the better. Yeah, I could make her my friend for real, not just in a dream. She was right in front of my eyes, but for real this time. Did that make sense?_

_As she sat there looking at me in confusion and getting' madder all the time, my mind was racing. What am I gonna do here? I gotta think of something to say...lemme see...I pulled off my headband slowly, to give myself a chance to think. Gods, she looked so beautiful…and mad at me. I hated that thought. I really didn't want her to be mad at me. I wanted to make her feel a little more at ease here. _

_"Whoa, dudette, sorry to sneak up on you like that," I said, trying to give her my best casual smile. "You just seemed so totally into what you were doing, I didn't want to ruin your little moment."_

_She sat there staring at me. Gods, it seemed almost like she couldn't even hear me. My heart sank a little bit. _

_Shit! Why was she so angry with me?_

_"Please," I thought to myself, "just please don't yell and tell me shove off," I begged. And I can assure you, Val Gaav ain't one ta beg for anything!_

* * *

Zel looked at his watch. It was getting late and his head was pounding. The journal was intriguing and he wanted to finish it that night, but... Friday had been cram-packed with too many problems, too many duties, too, too much; it was time for bed and to sleep them away. He got up and finished in the bathroom and then went to check on Xelloss, who he found roaming the house.

"Hey, I'm going to bed. I've got a headache and there's stuff to do tomorrow." Zel waited for a response.

"Okay, guess I will too then. 'Night."

"If you want, you can help me plant peas. February isn't too early."

Xelloss smiled and shook his head. "Yeah, sounds romantic enough for me."

Zel mock-punched him and stole off to his room.

It was Saturday morning. The sun was trying to break through the overcast sky, but the weather report promised it would win before sundown. All in all, it might hold off until Monday.

"So, where are we going again?" Filia asked her friend as he struggled over a few boulders wearing a heavy a backpack.

He planted his feet firmly on the ground, and then extended an arm to give her a hand up. "Some... place."

Filia clambered up the final rock face, and then settled heavily beside Val, her breath coming in misty gasps. "Gods, it's cold. My hands are numb!"

"Least it's not raining," he grunted.

"How much further? You know, we have to go back, too."

Val looked her over, and then grinned. "Yer as bad as Xelloss."

"Whaaaaa...t?"

Protecting himself as she pummeled his side, he expanded, "Take him on a walk around the block and he's whining 'bout somethin'... 'It's raining... Is this a poisonous bug? I think it is! My contacts hurt... The wind's messing up my hair!'"

Filia was laughing. Val's imitation was good.

"Place is right here, by the way," he pointed out.

"I've lived on this settlement longer than you, and I've never been up here. I didn't even know there was a... oh, wow...whatta view!" Filia shielded her eyes with a hand and looked out onto the clan village below. "I bet that's the Draconian cult lands over there...that green spot with the stone buildings. Seyruun...too hazy, but I bet if we came up here on a clear day we could see it!"

"Okay, it's a date," Val said near to her ear. He had moved closer while her attention was on the magnificent vista. Gently, he brushed a few strands of loose hair off her lips, and tucked them behind the same ear. _Golden hair_. "There's more."

Feeling his warmth leave her side was a signal to Filia that Val had moved on. Only a few feet more and a small hut popped into sight. A thin plume of smoke made a wispy-looking cloud trailing over the roof. "What's this?" she wondered aloud.

Val grinned. "Surprised ya, didn't I?"

Her face changed expression from awe to suspicion instantly. "What have you got in mind, Val-ee-um?"

It wasn't his favorite nickname. "Nothin' like yer thinkin'. Come on inside and I tell ya about this place."

Once again, he pulled off the unexpected. "Oh, my gods! Val! It's beautiful! China, crystal-- How did you get all this up here?"

He closed the door to the cold outside and smiled, "It's...ah...a secret."

She blinked. No. No, Val didn't just quote Xelloss, did he? The bizarreness of that tickled her to laughter again. Xelloss was such an oddball, such a geek, and Val was...the coolest, toughest punk in town.

"I'll take yer coat," he offered. His was already off, so he draped them both over a couple hooks by the door. "I need ta check the fire. You can look around. It's just the one room. Bathroom's...ah... a lean-to shack out and around the side."

"Rustic," she noted.

He stirred up the embers and added another log to the fire. "Uh-huh."

She circled the room, admiring the heavy log framing, the worn plank floor, and the sparse furnishings: a heavy wooden dining table and two rough-hewn chairs, a narrow blanket-covered cot in the corner, a shelf or two, a dusty cupboard, a crate. "Where did the flowers come from?" Roses were not in bloom anywhere in town in winter.

"I ordered them and had them delivered."

"Here? Florists make deliveries up here?"

He gave her a funny look which became a smirk. "Yeah, they fly it in."

Okay, now she understood that he was just pulling her leg. "You are just so funny. It's your birthday so I'll forgive you, though."

"Yeah, so sit down and I'll deal with lunch."

She watched him fill a cast iron kettle with water from a bucket and hang it on a hook over the fire. "Where'd you get the water?"

"There's a spring not far off. Nice place, huh? Huntin' cottage. This has been in use for hundreds of years. Folks hunted the forests...there once were thick ones about but they were cut down long time back to build...Seyruun, I guess. Then shepherds could stay up here in summer to watch over their sheep. That was all before the clan got it and way long before your clan moved here-- what, a couple summers back, right?"

"Right, but this place looks awfully good for being empty that long, don't you think so? It's like, you know, lived in." Filia said.

Val measured the loose-leaf tea into two tiny tea balls, one for each dainty cup. Next, he started pulling boxes and plastic containers of foodstuffs out of his backpack.

"That looks good," Filia said admiring the Middle Eastern wheat berry salad.

"Pitas would be better toasted," Val muttered.

"I'll tend to that," she offered. The fireplace tongs would do! While she was gripping the flat breads and turning them over the coals at the edge of the fire, the water began to rumble in the pot. "Water's boiling."

They continued in the familiar comradely comfort of two people who knew each other well, preparing a simple, tasty, and as it turned out, elegant luncheon with tea and birthday cupcakes, packed two to a Chinese takeout box. Filia sang him the traditional 'Happy Birthday' song and then presented him with a small box covered with pressed flowers and tied neatly with colored twine.

"The problem with having your birthday on a popular holiday is finding the right presents. Two seems too much, but one cheats you. So, anyway...open up," she urged him.

"Um, sure." Inside was a pendant on a heavy chain. It was gold, he could tell. The pendant was a match to hers, signifying the Cephied hierarchy including the division of the Ancient clan with that of the Golden one, all the way down to some of their recognizable ancestors, supposedly. "Filia, this is..."

"You like it? Milgasia thought it was time you had one, too, but I wanted to be the one to give it to you. There's a ceremony that goes with it that you're supposed to suffer through when you turn thirteen. I convinced him that you'd probably never go through with that anyway so he let me have it. Happy day to you, Val. You are now an official member of the Cephied Clan; that is, if you want to be. I guess you can just keep this until you decide."

He didn't know what to say. He hadn't given it much thought, making it all official and all. He wasn't much of a joiner. This was different. He knew that this was a serious life-decision he was making. Much like marriage, it was a commitment. Well, he'd committed to Lina and the band and he'd stuck with his 'brothers' and to his friends and that had brought him nothing but good. What did he have to lose? With the clan he'd have a home forever with people to work for and with for the rest of his life. As long as it didn't bind him too strongly, forbidding him to live where he wanted part time, or attend a art school far away for awhile, or travel with the band or to see his Ancient clan territory...

"I think I want to do that, Filia. I just got a few questions. I mean, I don't mind havin' to help out and do stuff for the com-mu-ni-ty, but I got a few other things I wanna do fer myself."

"I know Milgasia will be as happy as me to hear that. I'm certain you'll have lots of freedom, Val, but to be sure yourself, go ahead and talk to him. He'll clear up everything for you." Filia smiled.

"It makes you happy, huh?" He set down his cup and slid off his chair and around the table to be closer to her.

She blushed and nodded. That won her a kiss.

"Come here and let me thank you more for the present."

He drew her to the bed, which was far more like an outdoor lawn chair than bed, only it was even harder. "It's like a couch," he insisted.

It was odd to her to be so very close to him. They never had much privacy out on the settlement. There was always someone around, and the stables smelled too much to spend a great deal of time there, she thought. Sure, her parents would go out and leave them in charge of Quinny, but they usually just rented videos and snuggled on the couch to watch. Often other kids would drop by to share stories or just to get a look at the two rising stars. That and he was simply too aggressive for her tastes. Give him an inch and he'd run a marathon...

And now they were alone, really alone in a secluded hut on a hill, miles from anyone. He was strong and tenacious. A sudden fear seized her. "Val...?"

He had pulled her down on his chest. He enjoyed the heavy feel of her squishy body on his and stroked her sleek hair like he might a cat. The worried tone in her single word question gave him pause. "Somethin' wrong?"

"You're not thinking that you are entitled to more birthday presents?" she asked feigning a lot more courage than she felt.

"I was thinkin' more Valentine's Day. It's a day for lovers, ya know?"

"Uh, huh, but if I say 'stop' you do it or you won't get a second chance. I'm not teasing you here. It's not going as far as..."

"As I want?" he chuckled into her hair. "I know. I just wanna kiss ya without watchin' my back or feelin' guilty."

He sat up dragging her with him, and then carefully raised her chin so their eyes met. "Hey, I won't do a thing, then. I'll just sit here and let you do...it...all. 'Course, if you start havin' too much fun, I might join in, but...you give me the word an' I'll stop."

She saw his uncertainty; he was relinquishing his control of the situation to her. Good. She gave him a hard shove, pushing him back down on the bed, and then she started to tickle him. She knew just where to start, thanks to Xelloss who had discovered his secret last summer. When he had cleaned and changed a fevered Val outside the Ancient clan temple, he'd found a few spots he'd had to avoid touching. She started with the back of one of his bent knees by pulling it straight at the ankle and holding it at an angle.

"Hey! Ahhhhh! No fair!" he roared.

It took a couple more touches before they were wrestling for supremacy on the unstable cot. He managed to sit up and she pounded him down, but this time he took her with him and they landed forcefully. They could hear the wooden frame creak, and then begin to give way when a substantial thud sounded beneath them.

"What was that?" she whispered into his ear.

"I dunno. It was under us, I think. Get up."

She rolled off, but was afraid to put her feet on the floor. "Maybe it's a dead body."

"Wasn't that big, Fil, unless it was a dead 'coon. Not more than 'bout ten...fifteen pounds," he estimated as he left her on the wobbly cot and bent down oh his hands and knees to search beneath the bed.

"Anythin'—anyth**_ing_**?" gasping her correction fearfully.

"I see a box." He reached under the cot and dragged out a solid steel box, scraping the floor and leaving a dust-free trail.

"What's in it?"

Val looked it over, turning it over and around. "Candy," he grinned up at her. "I used my x-ray vision."

Filia smacked him on the top of the head, bending a few spikes permanently. "You (smack) have (smack) been (smack) spending (smack) like...way too (smack, smack) time (smack) with Xelly-bean (sma--)"

The last one he stopped. "You gotta hair pin in that bag of yours?"

"Hair pin? What millennium do you think this is?"

"Nail file? Somethin' ta jimmy this lock?"

"Oh, yeah...here."

To her joy (hurry, hurry, open, open) and concern (he sure opened that fast!) he expertly picked the lock and pried off the lid.

Zel awoke to Beast's whimpers. What time was it, he wondered? Xelloss must have already been up and gone over to Rezo's to get the dog. He looked at his watch. It wasn't even _eight_ yet. Well, Zel wasn't getting up. Beast could play with Xelloss for a few more hours. He was about to close his eyes and go back to sleep, when they fell upon Val's journal.

All right... He found the bookmark from the night before and continued where he'd left off.

* * *

_I was lost pretty deep in thought as I cruised slowly towards home on my board later that afternoon._

_After our initial awkward little moment, I had at least succeeded in communicating (just barely!) with her. Now, I was even more curious than before. There was just something about her that seemed to trigger long forgotten feelings in me. Between that and those stupid dreams, I was kinda forced to think about not having a real quality girlfriend; and I realized how much I missed having any kind of quality friends, and how much it hurt to admit that._

_As painful as it was to admit my longings, I couldn't deny that there was something good about that kid. It was like she had a little piece of all that was alive and beautiful inside her. At least, for whatever reason, she sure seemed to trigger a lot of those needy feelings in me. _

_So, back to what happened… In spite of the less-than-friendly look she was giving me, I had suggested that she come back to the skate park tomorrow so she could watch all the skaters, since that seemed like what she wanted to do and she'd arrived too late this day to catch most of them. Then, guess what? She smiled. She also seemed most interested in me being there. Hmmm, part of me was thinking it might be easier to just blow it off and not show up tomorrow, and avoid any more of these painful and awkward feelings. But, I realized I had to be there. Left on her own, those idiots would probably eat her alive, which seems really funny now 'cause of course I now know that Lina could have taken care of herself just fine. It was the aggressive skaters who I shoulda been worried about! No, I told myself, I had come back. _

_Hell, part of me really wanted to come back to see her again, and I knew it, I just didn't want to admit how excited I was getting._

_All of these strange thoughts were bouncing around in my head as I arrived home and walked in the back door. Gaav was standing in the kitchen and he gave me an odd look._

_"Where the fk have ya been, you worthless piece of crap? You know ya gotta job to do!" he roared at me as usual. _

_My mom used to treat me pretty good, even though we didn't have many chances to be close as I needed after she married Gaav. I really loved my mom. She was like my best friend until I was in third or fourth grade, when she finally gave up the fight and died. I wanted to die with her, but that didn't happen. I wasn't even told how she died or allowed to see her body. I vowed then to be a tough punk so no one could hurt me. I'd do all the hurting from then on. Nothing was worth working against Gaav ta get, at any time. But, especially after she died, a crime-free life just stopped being worth the fight. At times I kinda missed that...her hugs and caring…but it just feels all empty and fulla hurt now. I have too much to hide, and I just can't risk letting my feelings show around the house._

_"Don't matter, I'm home now, right, and yeah, I know about the job goin' down," I replied, trying to end that conversation as soon as it started._

_He just looked at me and gave me a kick, "Sit down and shuddup. Eat this before ya go."_

_My stepfather certainly thought that it might be fatal somehow to share how your feelings with someone. One of these days I'd figure it out, I'd find someone I'd actually want to share my feelings with, and life will never be the same again. Ah…that was part of my dreams. I also knew that he hated and feared something about me. I always felt that I was superior, that my real dad had been important and that I'd been something good and special. For that, he treated me like the rest of the shit punk kids he brought home, or worse._

_"Oh," I said without much enthusiasm. Great. Another quality family moment' with dad. _

_I don't know what it was about my stepfather...but he always treated me funny. Like he never really trusted me, or something. He's always looking at me suspiciously like he thought I was an impostor, because clearly, I wasn't a true Gaav Gangster'. I wasn't red-headed and hairy, I wasn't stupid, and I wasn't an outspoken bigot, so, I guess he must have been right. The other boys he drug off the streets and trained and forced me to share my room with appeared true to the gene pool, but I seemed to be such a disappointment to him. I didn't even look like him, but then I knew I was adopted. I looked more like my mother._

_Needless to say, we never were close. _

_When I was younger, I was always too gangly and uncoordinated to be much of an athlete. I tried to play soccer, but it was clear from the beginning that it was a waste of everyone's time, and no one had time to spare with me. My step-father kept saying I was just too much of a sissy and a momma's boy, but I think I was just a different breed of man. I think my abilities on a skateboard showed I was not completely un-athletic at this point. But, my step-father could only see it then as a sign of weakness which could play no part in the Gaav family business. It felt like, if I had been a puppy, he would have drowned me to protect the breeding line._

_So, as I got older, I tried different things. I liked basketball, but I was just growing' too fast to be coordinated. Football? Get serious. Eventually he gave up on me, and left me alone. Thank the gods._

_But, after my stepfather finally gave up on me, I was looked upon with great suspicion. Whenever he wanted to brag to his friends, he'd be quick to mention his juvenile delinquent street-boys who'd bring in the bucks (which was lucky for them too, because they were all as dumb as posts, as far as I could tell...) But, for some reason he never mentioned his other son who made honor roll every year, until I got ta high school, and who wanted to be a musician or an artist. No, I never used the "M-word" or the "A-word" around Gaav. That woulda been like…being a fag. Shit, if he had known where my interests lay—going to a top-notch music or design school-- he'da broken both my arms…repeatedly. _

_He'd made me stop piano lessons as soon as I showed signs of being good, and he never found out that I just kept at it, using the one at school. I made it to chorus backup at the high school, and for one year, I was in the jazz ensemble there. I tried to get a band going once or twice, but without a keyboard of my own it was tough. Then I stole one. I hid it with a friend of mine, a dude named Sano. Later, I picked up a battered amp and learned to fix it. I had to do something to keep my dreams alive._

_I know my mom woulda been cool about it, the going to art school or music school, that is. She'da been really supportive when I told her what I was hoping to do. But, you know...she just up and died and left me for Gaav ta form in his own image before I was old enough to know what a future was._

_Thanks, ma._

_I did everything I could to assure Lina that I was safe and basically a good guy deep down inside. I really hated the idea that someone like her would actually despise me. It made me sick inside to even think about it. Like I was some kind of hateful bully or something? Gods, what a joke! I spent more than enough time hiding from the bullies in Junior High myself to make that thought really repulsive to me. I realized that for the first time, my well-practiced hard-ass skater-punk persona wasn't working out great._

_Okay, so things were all working out really great. I mean, I met a pretty cool girl who I was immediately attracted to. Then, I somehow manage to out myself to her accidentally that I was still a drug dealer. She seemed to be understanding about it and all, but she still wanted me to basically just go away and leave her alone and just pretend I didn't even know her or like her or anything. _

_I tried hard and after a few weeks of summer I made some progress. I could talk to her once and awhile, you know… 'grace her presence'. I also managed to make good with that Gourry Gabriev guy, who ended up being the nicest guy on the planet that I'd ever meet. Unfortunately, I could tell he had his eye on Lina as well, and he had everything going for him that I didn't. But I couldn't not like the guy. _

_See, it turned out that day I'd seen Lina under her tree, she was waiting to see him, Gourry. He hadn't been showing up like she'd expected. Then one day, he did._

_"Hey, Lina!"_

_I can't say I was too happy to hear a dude's voice being all familiar with her. I turned around and saw this dude half a foot taller than me, and I was six foot at the time, and with at least twenty more pounds of muscle standing out on him. Shit. If anyone could damage my face, this was the guy. Oh, yeah, I recognized him, though he and some other dude, his older bro I guessed, usually hung out in other places, I'd seen him at this park. Not a real skate park. One we'd kinda coursed out ourselves outa dirt an' stuff._

_"Gourry! 'bout time! Where have you been?" Lina hollered back._

_"I got my 'ppendis cut out. Wanna see?" _

_"Not really..."_

_He already had his t-shirt yanked up to show the top half of a long ragged scar on his abdomen. "Mom wouldn't let me come 'cause the muscles needed ta heal, then we took a vacation to see Grandma. Grandpa died, you know, an' she's all alone. Then we..."_

_"Yeah, yeah, I get the picture. You've been elsewhere. So, ah..." Lina noticed he and I were looking each other over, me to see if there was any hope of me getting out of there alive, and him, it turned out, to try to recall my name._

_"You," Gourry said._

_"That's Val, a skater here. Good for a tall guy." _

_Thanks, Lina, for the introduction. Now the dude has a name and a face to put together. But I was wrong about Gourry, just like I was wrong about all you guys, each one of you. You, meaning the Slayers, turned out to be the closest friends...and family too, that a guy could ever wish for. _

_Gourry's face lit up with a smile like sunshine. "Val, yeah, I know you. Hey, ah, my little brother Joey..."_

_Okay, here it comes..._

_"I sent him back to 'polgize to ya. I told him ta stay outa the way of the skaters. He could kill someone someday, getting' in the way. He never looks where he's goin', always walkin' 'round in a trance or somethin'."_

_"What?" Apologize...to me? "Nah, he was okay. I was in a shitty mood that day and well, I got madder than what he deserved. Forgive an' forget, right?" _

_Another warm smile. "Yeah, ah...thanks, man. I'll tell him. He's been 'fraid to come 'round. He's only twelve, ya know."_

_I musta blushed at that. I thought he was fourteen at least, he was so tall. "I don't usually jump on little kids..."_

_Lina was getting bored with all this. "So, you hungry or somethin'? I need a drink."_

_"Yeah!" Gourry turned his attention fully on her. I knew he'd completely forgotten I even existed. "The Jiffy Dairy's got a new ice cream machine, ya know, the kind that's makes the little swirly on top?"_

_"Sounds good. You can get me one too!" she shouted and off she went, with Gourry panting at her side like a lost puppy who'd found his owner at last and wasn't going to lose sight of her at any cost. _

_So, maybe he hadn't completely forgotten about me. Maybe he saw me as competition with her. That made me smile._

_We three ran into each other off and on all summer, sometimes they included me in their eat-a-thons, mostly not._

_Then school started and somehow I'd signed up to do an acting class thing—though I don't remember actually asking for the class-- so I got to see her, Lina, for that sometimes. And, the more I talked to her, the more I liked her...but, now I was not supposed to talk to her at all! Her rules. Yup. This was working out just fine. I think I was beginning understand now why the moth can never manage to resist the attraction of that stupid flame...something Xelloss used to complain to me about, but that came much, much later._

_Only I could manage to get things that messed up in such a short time. I don't know why I ever bothered._

_Then a day later, I made my decision. I was not going to blow it again! I immediately realized two things. First, I realized just how important it was to me, all of a sudden, to find a way to keep Lina in my life, for some reason. Second, I realized I was totally clueless just how to do that. I'd never had any relationships in my life before...not even a really close, best-friend type relationship. But she had these other friends hangin' around. Some chicks, two geeks, one a fag on top of it (that was what I thought, but I was wrong about him too), and that Gourry Gabriev fellow. _

_Gourry… I wished he was my brother. And the two geeks, well, they actually DID become my brothers, in a way. I love them both like they were. Didja read that? Yeah, I wrote that. You're the best of the best. And I am sorry for all the bad things I said to you back then. I'd take them back, if I could. You and Xelloss are the smartest dudes I've ever known...that there are, and I know you'll beat the syndicate and find your own 'true happiness' in the end. And, Zel, whether it's your 'little princess' or some other chick-of-your-choice, if I can write the word 'love' and feel it and find it, so can you. I know you have it in you. _

_Anyway, so I've been trying to 'improve myself'. And, in time, they all became my closest friends and family. Yeah, like a dream come true, huh? And it's been getting better ever since. I know there'll never be a Lina and Me, but I feel lucky to be counted among her closest friends, which in the long run is more important. Yeah, I got my eye on one of those other friends of hers and it'll take a miracle to make her respect the likes of me, but then…looking back on my life, I think magic's on my side._

* * *

"Zel-gaaaaaaa-diss!"

Zel snapped the journal shut and sat up. "What?"

"I made you breakfast, but I'm not stupid enough to bring it to your room, and the weather looks promising for our picnic in the park. So if you want to plant the peas, you'd better get a move on."

Zel smiled. "Be right there." _Oh, gods...I wonder what kind of a mess he made in the kitchen! _

This time Lina, Sylphiel and Gourry would be joining them- _them_included Kiki and Amelia-- for a small Valentine party. Zel hoped that this would contain the confrontational and romantic sparks.

"What sme-ells?"

"Everything," Zel answered his best friend as he hoed a furrow in one of the raised beds.

"Not _that _bad. Something about that ground you are digging in stinks."

"Oh, manure."

Xelloss straightened up and frowned. "It does _too _smell. There is nothing wrong with my nose."

Zel leaned on the hoe and chuckled. "Manure. Part steer, part chicken. I dug it in a week ago and its fragrance is what your sensitive nose has detected."

"Manure. Animal crap. You dug that into there? And you weren't going to tell me? You were just going to let me put my hands in the dirt and plant seeds and not know what I was touching? I trusted you!" Xelloss couldn't believe it.

Zel was equally incredulous. "Xelloss, it isn't raw; the manure was composted. It's safe to handle. Wash your hands when you're done."

Xelloss made a face of disgust.

Zel sighed. "There are gloves in the bucket. Wear those." He tore off the top of the seed envelope and poured a few seeds in his hand.

"Okay," Xelloss decided.

"Start at the other end of the row and we'll meet in the center. Peas need to go about two and one-half inches deep and about an inch apart. Watch how I do it. See, this finger to this knuckle is about the right depth. I drop some seeds in the furrow and poke them down to the depth of my knuckle, then move on to the next seed. Don't worry about the closeness, too close is better. Some won't germinate anyway, bugs get others, and I'll just thin them later. All set to try it yourself?"

"Yep! Looks easy. Ugh...the smell the smell... It's hard to hold on to these with gloves on."

"That's why I don't wear them."

"I could take them off and use a...stick. Got one. Okay. Drop. Poke."

Zelgadiss was already at the halfway point. He waited for Xelloss to catch up.

"Good. That's over. Now we can..." Xelloss prepared to walk off to the house.

"I have two more rows to plant," Zel said. "If you do those, I can plant the onions."

"Okay," Xelloss sighed. He was happy to help, but happier to be done with it.

After a few minutes Xelloss asked, "Are the onions it? Done?"

Zelgadiss joined him with a box of tiny seedlings in his hand. "I'd like to set out these and sprinkle a few radishes around. These are lettuces. Different kinds."

"I'll do radishes. Give me the package. I can read the instructions." Xelloss scanned the back, then satisfied that he could handle it alone set off to the other end of the bed. "Anywhere in particular?"

"About a third of the package over that end. They come up fast and will be picked before we plant carrots and cucumbers later."

"Okay, but why not plant those now, too?"

"It's too cold. Some plants tolerate the cold damp conditions; others want to wait until spring warmth is guaranteed. Come here. See, in this bed I tossed fennel, dill, cilantro, parsley, and chive seeds a few weeks ago. They all seem to be weedy enough to sort themselves out and get growing whenever they feel like it without any coddling. I'll thin them out and add a few other things later."

The two dove into their endeavors and finished quickly in a few minutes. Zel collected his tools and bucket of small items, including the gloves Xelloss had discarded, and set them inside the small storage shed.

Xelloss smiled. "When did you learn all this? It's not like you've ever done this before; Joey did the planting at the old house."

Zel returned a smile of his own. "Reading, but you'll have to ask Lina about the garden we grew one summer. She wanted watermelons and pumpkins, big ones naturally, and I wanted corn and strawberries. We did all that in her backyard. No, ask her. She'll tell it better. All right, I say it is done for the day. Time to pick up our order at the deli."

"I don't suppose I have time for a shower, do I?" Xelloss asked as he shook his dirty hands in the air.

"No. We'll wash up and go. Think about it. Lina will be there. Waiting. Waiting for us to bring lunch. Waiting. Anticipating our imminent arrival."

"Gotcha. Wash up and go. No time to waste lest our fearless leader go hungry for a few minutes and so devour the most replaceable part of our band."

"Hey, we need those backup singers!" Zel said as he dried his hands on a sad-looking towel. "We have to do some laundry too. I'll start the washer and you collect...towels, yeah, and underwear. Remind me, if I forget later, to move them to the drier."

"_Singers_? Oh, I was thinking of the _bass player_. Okay, towels and underwear. Val's stuff is by the door, or the only things I'm willing to touch, so I'll get that too."

"Xelloss," Zel warned him. "I thought you and Gourry were friends again."

"Friends? Of course we are! Always have been. Just a bit of friendly competition in the past."

"Not always friendly competition, as I recall," Zel reminded him. "Although I'm glad to hear that you consider that the 'battle for Lina' is over." He said that, then re-thought what it was that Xelloss had really meant. That damned engagement again! "Ah, sorry, Xelloss. I'm really sorry."

"About what?"

"That I haven't found a way out of that engagement for you yet; that is, one that I can live with myself after I've done it."

"I won't ask you to shoot me again," Xelloss said, figuring that that was what Zelgadiss was referring to. "I promise. It was unfair. I was...kinda nuts that night."

"Just that night?" Zel smirked, grabbed his car keys and headed for the door.

"Yeah, just then. I'm doing pretty well off all my medication, right? I think I'm leveling off or something. I don't zone out so much."

"You did before?" Zel chuckled as he noticed that Xelloss did not like his teasing. "This is fun, being you. I think I can be just as annoying as you ever were. Here, you drive!"

Xelloss caught the keys midair and danced around to the driver's side of the car. "Okay! But I absolutely refuse to buy and use one of your personal schedulers...or get one of those nerdy pocket shields to store it in."

As the engine roared to action, Zel commented, "I don't wear one of those. Most of my shirts don't have chest pockets. I never dressed like a nerd...not like you did."

"I was, to quote Filia, 'preppy,' not nerdy. Now I'm cool. This reminds me, I need to go clothes shopping. I've grown! I thought I was done growing, but I measured myself at the spa, and there it was. Can't say I felt it out at the settlement. Do you know that I was the shortest man...no, male, above the age of about twelve in the whole place? Even most of the women were my height or taller. Not that that stopped the twins..."

Xelloss proceeded to tell Zelgadiss about his exploits until his cell phone buzzed for his attention. He slapped Zel's hand away and answered it, "Heeeel-loooo? Filia! Happy Valentine's Day! You have what? Oh, my... Okay, I'll shut up. Tell him 'very good'! We'll make a fine white-collar criminal out of him someday! Ha, ha! Okay, bye now!"

He explained to Zel what was going on in the few minutes it took to reach the delicatessen and park the car. There, Mrs. Shearer, the deli's owner and Rezo's live-in housekeeper, handed over a huge stack of cartons filled with sandwiches, salads, drinks, and one of her famous cheesecakes, pre-sliced.

"Isn't it too cold outside for picnics? Do you have a dry place to go if it starts raining? You remember that cold you got the last time you were soaked to the skin chasing that wild Lina child around? At least you've got her out of your system, now. I saw that dear young thing you're marrying this morning. She was visiting her aunt and uncle in the shop and stopped in to say hello. Lovely girl. Such a good choice. I approve. And I think you're at a fine age to settle down. Young is good. You need to be young to chase around children. Now, Zelgadiss, we have to find you someone just as good. You'll want to be married too, now that your brother is. You'll have more in common that way, plus your children would be best of friends...Okay, that is all of the order, and since it is Valentine's Day and my special boys are meeting their special girls, I added a few special touches to those extras you ordered, so here, take this box too. There now, go and have a good time."

"Thank you, Mrs. Shearer. We'll have a good time."

"Yes, thanks. Bye," Zelgadiss added before following Xelloss out the door.

"Whew!" Xelloss sighed with a smile. "Did you clear the place with your single-status still intact?"

"Yes, but I _think_ she's babysitting all our kids tonight," Zel said jokingly.

"We have _kids_?"

"Several each, but only in her imagination."

"Good, you had me worried there that I'd missed some family secret along the way. Speaking of way...here we are at the park. We are meeting them...where?"

"Bandstand, you told me." Zel looked over all the cartons stacked on the limited floor space and back seat. "Let's go find them first. They should help us carry all these."

"I agree wholeheartedly!" Xelloss said and marched off in search of Lina...and the others.

"So?" Filia leaned over his left shoulder to look at the box's contents. "Just a book?"

"Yeah, looks that way," Val replied. He turned a page and scanned then the next, then the next. "Whoa..." and then he let out a whoop "Way ta go, dude! Xelloss, I love ya man!"

"Oh, gods..." Filia sat back. "What does that nutcase have to do with all this?"

"What this?" Val waved the book. "Nothin'. 'Snot his, but he was hopin ta find it." To answer some of her unasked questions, Val continued. "When he was workin' with Luna out at the settlement, he came across some, to use his words 'disturbing information concerning a leak of clan information to the syndicate'. I guess he fixed some firewalls on the main database and all. It was Luna and him that located this place from the info they found, but they couldn't find any e-vee-dence. But we have."

"We have? What's it say? Whose is it?"

"I dunno who, but someone's been spyin' on our clan from up here. They been...look-it...times people goin' in and out...exit and entrances to the settlement..."

"I see entries with your name! Oh, Val! They have you pinpointed!"

Val slammed the book onto the floor with a curse. "Gotta get this to Xelloss to de-code right away."

"I'll clean up and pack."

Val nodded then flipped over the cot to examine the damage. "Lookit this. See how the mattress was cut out so's this would fit right up inside?" He had closed and relocked the box, empty, and now had replaced it into its hidey-hole. The cracking sound had come from the wooden slat, which had held it in place, as it gave way. "I can fix this up so's it don't look like we disturbed it, then when whoever it belongs to comes looking for it, maybe he'll..."

"Or _she_ will..."

"Yeah, maybe _they _will think they left it elsewhere."

"So, why not just take it with us and get the fingerprints identified?"

"Well, I was tellin' ya that I was hopin' they'd just figure they'd left it someplace else and buy us a little time. I dunno if it'll work, but if it is a clan person, the fingerprints won't be on the po-lice records. They don't got them."

"No, but the clan does," Filia declared. "And Xelloss or Luna will know where they are stored."

Val ripped off the just-repaired-slat and dug out the box. "Screw the dude..." He clamored to his feet and stuffed the book and box into his pack. "Leave the trash..."

"No way! We shall abide by the rules of the wilderness: 'Take only picture, leave only footprints!'" Filia unwrapped a plastic-like recyclable garbage bag from the bottom of her purse and started filling it with whatever Val refused to carry back down.

Together they put out the fire, reset the bed and chairs, and tossed the water. When they were done and Filia was satisfied with the condition of the cottage, he followed her out the door and slammed it shut. She was cradling the moderate-sized sack in preparation for the long hard climb back home, and looking a bit too proud and long-suffering at the same time.

"Here, give me that," he said gruffly as he took off his back pack and opened the top.

"I can carry it," she assured him. She didn't need a man to help now; she could do it all herself.

"Yeah, but it wouldn't be safe. You need yer hands to hold on."

"I'll scramble fine."

"Not on the rocks. _That _I'm _sure_ you'd mess up and break somethin', but what I meant is ya gotta hold onta me with both hands 'cause the ride's gonna be fast and dangerous."

She was so confused, but understood the moment they passed up the lean-to and she saw his motorcycle parked on the narrow path in back. "Where did this come from? How'd it- it get here?"

"I rode it up the trail. Trail's in back and it goes to a road down to the settlement. That's how I got stuff like flowers and wood and all up here. I was even here way early this mornin' to get the fire goin' then walked down to getcher."

Ignoring his heroic feats to impress her, Filia decided to say instead, "Then...I didn't have to spend all morning rock climbing to get here? I could have slept in and just _ridden_ here?" Filia was warming to a fight.

"Hey, babe," he said coolly, dashing her flames out with a wet kiss. "Exercise is good for the appetite and I wanted you good and hungry."

"Ah...oh...well...yeah..." she blushed and took up the extra helmet. She wasn't certain if there wasn't a hidden meaning to his intentions now.

"Now, I mean it. Hold on tight like yer life was at stake; 'cause we're gonna take some switchbacks a-bove the speeeed limit!" he warned her with a gravelly chuckle, and then revved the motor.

He was joking however. Oh, she held on tight all the way, but he drove safely and soberly. He wasn't about to harm his girl. It took them ten minutes to get down the mountain and another ten to reach her house. She quickly explained to her parents the need to hurry back to Seyruun, grabbed a change of clothes, kissed her brother goodbye, and hurried out to the waiting young man.

"That was record quick. We're gonna stop at my place to change ve-hi-cles."

Five more minutes clicked by and they were in the Suburban, Seyruun bound.

Filia withdrew her cell phone and punched a number. "Xelloss, yeah it's me. No, well, okay...happy Valentine's Day to you, too. Listen...LISTEN to me, you idiot! Val and I are on our way back. We should be at your house in..._What?_ Okay, the park in about forty-five..."

"Half an hour," Val barked.

"Minutes or less. We got this book-- found it. It's got stuff... Yeah, you got the idea. Okay, bye." Filia put the phone away. "Well, even if the spy is up there right now and figured out that we have this, he can't get down and catch up to us, right?"

"No, but an ac-com-plice might."

They exchanged worried glances.

Filia put in a CD and sat back to listen, watchful for unusual cars or vans. Val drove in silent concentration, his eyes scanning the road ahead and every so often checking the rear view mirror for someone following them. For the longest time, it seemed, nothing out of the ordinary was going to occur.

"That one's movin' fast."

"Where?" Filia asked leaning forward.

"Other direction. Black sedan on a connector road. Looks like its going to merge behind us."

"Oh," Filia moaned with disappointment, "I was just thinking we were safe now that we were so close to Seyruun."

"I'm speeding up. Maybe we can outrun 'im and get into town first. Call McGywn."

Filia tried, but no luck. "He's on vacation, wouldn't you know. Some detective kid will get back to me later. Lotta good that will do if we're in a wreck by then."

"Ah shit!" Val swore and hammered the seat beside him. "Cops."

He pulled over and waited for the officer to show up, pulling out his wallet, ID, and car registration in preparation for the inevitable requests. One look in the face of the law and his anger threaten to become explosive.

"Val, what is it? Calm down," Filia whispered urgently.

Val, however, rolled down the window as the officer's hand signals pantomimed and shook his head. Then he waited, eyes narrowed.

"In a hurry today? May I see your driver's license?" the be-spectacled patrolman asked.

Val grunted and handed it over. There it was-- the black sedan slowing slightly, then speeding past. "That car! It has syndicate op'ratives chasin' us!" he pointed out.

The man didn't bother to look up. "That's a first. Registration?"

As Val turned over the requested papers out the window, he strained to keep the mysterious car in view.

"But it's true!" Filia yelped. "Just get a hold of Detective McGywn and ask, where ever he is...He'll tell you we know what we're talking about! Hey, are you deaf or just..."

Val's hand smacked over her mouth. "Don't say nothin', it'll only make things worse. 'Sides, McGywn's Chief of Police now."

The patrolman looked them over suspiciously. "Would you get out of the car slowly keeping your hands in the air at all times?"

"What?" Filia gasped. "We don't have time for this..."

Val stopped her with a penetrating stare. "Don't be stupid. When ya get stopped by cops. Ya listen ta what they say, com-_ply_ what they say, no ar-gu-ments, no smart-assin' either. That's the law. Ya only make it a lot worse for yerself. Believe me, Fil, I know."

His cell phone buzzed and Filia reached for it in the back seat.

"No!" he said under his breath. "Leave it and get out, now."

"But..." She began, but Val's expression left room for no doubts. "Fine..."

"What's taking them, I wonder?" Amelia asked no one in particular. "It usually doesn't take more than an hour to get to the settlement from here."

"Delays are a bad sign," Zel agreed. He pulled out his cell phone and buzzed Val. "No answer. I'll try Filia, then."

But she wasn't answering either.

"Now I'm worried. Tell Lina to go ahead and eat. I'm calling McGywn. He might be able to trace a patrolman for information."

Amelia nodded and scampered off toward Lina and the others, but she didn't get far. Lina caught up with her halfway. "Xelloss is about to lose a hand if he doesn't let me get lunch. Okay, I'm gonna call Zangalus while were waiting and see if he's okay for doing Gaav in the musical. Orange wigs aren't hard to come by and he's tall enough, especially if he wears big boots. His part's pretty small and comes up later anyway." She punched in his number and waited to speak to him.

Meanwhile, Zel had received the same bad news Filia had miles away. "Vacation? How can I reach him then? Oh...no I don't want to talk to anyone else. Well, thanks..." He sighed and looked to Amelia for ideas. "Now what?"

"Oh! He's Mr. Zangalus' father, right? Miss Lina's got him on the line!"

"That's great, thanks. Lina! Let me talk to him!" Zel sped to her side and flicked the phone out of her hand.

"Zel!"

Turning his back on Lina, Zel was able to just barely hear the voice on the other end. "What? Doesn't matter, this is Zel. Is your dad home? It's an emergency!"

At the word 'emergency' Lina stiffened and backed off. "What's going on?"

While Amelia filled her in, Zel continued to converse in peace.

"Val Agares, eh? I coulda sworn I've brought you in dozens of times, but looks like I'm not finding any record on you. Of course, this driver's license could be a fake..."

Val folded his arms and said nothing. For once he was guilty of speeding only. He knew if he kept his composure and cooperated, he might get off with just a ticket and minor delay. All the while, that car hadn't returned. He wondered if it was pulled off at the side waiting for them...

Filia wisely copied Val. She'd never been in trouble with the police and was upset, nearly in tears, while at the same time frightened about the mystery car, stolen boxes, and evil brewing in the clan. She wanted to go back to the car and answer her cell phone, too.

"So?" Lina looked up to Zelgadiss as he returned her cell phone.

He plopped down at the picnic table beside her and plucked a grape from the stem. "McGywn's calling around. He'll let us know what he finds out. In the meantime, go ahead and eat." That's when he noticed that everyone had already started. "Oh."

"I'm saving a box lunch for Val and Filia," Xelloss told him. "But I can't promise I'll save any of that cheesecake."

"Okay, while we are waiting, I wanna go over a few notes I've got here for the musical. First of all, when I checked the script, I found that we need more folks involved. I just confirmed Zangalus to play Gaav and later himself. He even told me he's goat this huge black trench coat and oversized boots... What, Xelloss?"

"He was wearing a yellow-gold one."

Lina glared at him. "Is that so? Well, it's gonna be black for the musical because I don't want him to stand out more than me, get that? Okay, next, Sylphiel did me the favor of contacting Martina, who agrees to play herself and will stay out of the way the rest of the time, right?"

"I think she'll be, like, too nervous getting her own lines straight and not, you know, tripping on the sets to get in your way," Sylphiel answered. "Also, she's outnumbered by us. We'll keep her out of your hair."

"Good. Xelloss, you get your two buddies on board yet?" Lina knocked on his head. "Hello! Anybody home in there?"

"Lina? Ah, yes," Xelloss pulled out of his stupor. "Miwan is very excited to play H.M. Phibrizzo. He's happy to be a bad guy, he says, because he's always been cast in girl's parts. Um, when you meet him, you'll understand why."

Lina cut him off when her cell phone buzzed. "Yeah? Bobby! Oh, right. So, can you guys handle the lighting job? Sound? Zel's on the tech stuff and can fill you in later. Xelloss has props, but he'll be thrilled to hand that off to...who? Well, you pick who. Then for stage hands, one in charge and the others...yeah, right. Got it covered. Thanks, Bob, later! Bye!" She looked up. "Catch that? We got Bobby's band on lights, sound, and stage hands. Zolf and Rodimus can help advise, but for the performances, I want them heading security."

Amelia raised her hand to be heard. "You told me you needed a tall blonde female to play Ms. Zelas. I tried to get a hold of Miss Bunny, but she's just too busy with her own band. However...my sister overheard me calling and... Nahga insists she can do it with a wig!"

Amelia was anxious to please Lina, and although she believed Nahga could do the part, she knew her overbearing personality could exhaust Lina's patience. It was touch and go.

"Nahga _wants_ to?" Lina asked. "Great! She has the persona to pull off witch-bitch. I'll put her on Martina-watch as well and combat that problem. Great job there, Amelia. Next..."

"And John agrees to play Dark Star," Xelloss inserted without pause.

"I'll bet," Lina grinned his way. "That guy's been dyin' for an excuse to get his hands on you."

"Very funny, Lina," Xelloss said with a pouty face. "He's got his hands and attention busy elsewhere."

"Sorry, just kidding. Okay, where was I?" Lina scanned her notes.

"Didn't you say Jillas and Gravos are gonna play themselves?" Gourry prompted her as he read her notes from over her shoulder.

"Yeah, that's right. Val did the footwork on that one for me. That was my last point for now." Lina sank her teeth into a slice of cheesecake. She licked a drop of liquid ruby cherry topping off her fingertips. She closed her eyes in complete enjoyment of the flavor. When they opened, her eyes met a pair of deep purple ones. Before she could say anything, Xelloss had looked away, leaving her with his starving look emblazoned on her mind. It was as if he was unable to feed off everyone's bad vibes anymore. He had no heart for practical jokes, or jokes of any kind, at least when she was around.

The moment was interrupted by Zel's ringing cell phone. "Hello? Val, at last! What happened? Speeding ticket? Oh, well, that is too bad. Now you don't have to worry about keeping up that perfectly clean record." He winced at a string of profanity directed at him. "No, thank you, Val, that would be quite impossible for me to do to myself. I'll be going now...Ten minutes? We'll wait. No, but Xelloss saved some food for you. Don't mention it. Bye." With a sigh, he summarized. "They think they were about to be pursued, but were pulled over by a patrolman who didn't like Val and gave him a hard time, I get that sense from his touchy at-ti-tuuuude."

Lina smiled. Zel was beginning to sound like his old self more and more. Kiki and Amelia laughed at his imitation. Xelloss was off alone pacing, picking up stones and tossing them. "I'm going to the swings," he announced and set off.

"Poor Xelloss," Kiki sighed.

"Poor Xelloss! It's your life getting screwed up, too!" Lina snapped.

"But he suffers so. He feels things more and he keeps getting these threatening letters!" Kiki explained.

"He's still getting them?" Lina hadn't heard. He hadn't shared that information. In fact, she was feeling that he was leaving her out of the loop lately.

"_Qui!_ Two last week! He's very sad, I think. Then, he and your sister have been very busy. They have discovered a secret, but he said that now he's even more confused. I told him I think the problem is that ah...like if you dropped a stack of puzzles on the floor and mixed them up. You know the pieces fit together, but there's more than one problem to solve and the problems may not even be linked! He was not happy to think of it that way."

Sylphiel needed a change of mood. She was gladdened by the sounds and sight of their two missing friends joining them.

"And I wanted my day to myself...and Fil here," Val was grousing. "But here I am...back with the band..."

"And a ticket! Let's not forget _that!_" Zel added with a smirk.

"Grrrrr. You...are be-gin-ning...to get on my nerves, dude," Val warned complete with a throaty growl.

Filia launched into a brief, colorful explanation of what they had endured at the whims of the vigilant Seyruun patrol.

"But why did you expect someone to be after you, that's what I don't understand?" Amelia asked.

"I want Xelloss to hear this. Where'd he go?"-- Val's turn.

"I'll go after him," Zel offered with a sigh meaning 'as always.'

But Lina stopped him in his tracks. "No, I will. Val, you and Filia eat. This won't take long if it's me."

Lina ran along the path from the bandstand, where they were the only picnickers in the park, to the swings. Oh, she remembered the last time she was here very clearly. She had brought Xelloss along to see for herself where her friend Hokuto (Subaru's twin sister) had been murdered. She'd ended up in his arms in hysterics, then it rained and they'd...no, Xelloss had carried her partway, anyway, to shelter under the bandstand's gazebo. She had treated him very badly after that. The moment Gourry showed up in his pickup, she took off, leaving Xelloss to make his own way back to Rezo's. Lina recalled stopping in to see him later; he'd come down with a cold, he'd said, but Mrs. Shearer had told her that he was heartsick– a broken heart. Well, it wasn't her fault. She didn't ask him to fall in love with her! There he was. Swinging, barely, dragging his toe in the damp sand. _Well, it will all be over soon anyway. He'll be married and... That will be that_, Lina thought to herself. "Hey, Xelloss! Val's back! He wants to see you, pronto!"

"Lina? Oh, okay."

"Oh, here they come now. Lina! Xelloss! Hurry!"

"Okay, Sylphiel, what's so exciting?" Lina found a seat.

"Zel says there's a special Valentine's Day treat for us all!"

"Great," Lina sighed and rubbed her temples. "Valentine's Day, right. Happy birthday, Val."

"Don't mention it..."

"Remember last year? We'd made cards for each other...Xelloss and Zel were sick. We took them soup... I still have my cards. Zel drew those incredible pictures of us."

"I have mine, too. It's on my bulletin board to inspire me to work harder," Amelia said earnestly trying to catch Zel's attention.

Zel hid his face with his bangs and pretended to have dropped something on the ground to avoid the conversation.

"That was before. Valentine's Day we sang at our first job, that dance. Right Val?" Lina smiled at his grimace.

"Right. Seems a lot longer than a year. You sure that was only last year?"

Amelia was both slightly disappointed and hurt by Zelgadiss' rude neglect. She has been expecting a little more from him this Valentine's Day, like a card at least! "What's that you're wearing, Mr. Val?"

At Amelia's question, Xelloss drew nearer to get a closer look. "A clan pendant? Is that yours?"

"It's new! It's significant, isn't it, Mr. Val?"

"Welllllllll?" Xelloss added in a silky voice.

"Yeah, it's mine, if I wanna keep it," Val sneaked a peak down at Filia. Her soft blonde hair framed her pretty face, her smile widened until it included her light blue eyes. "It would mean I join up, which...I'm thinkin' 'bout...seriously."

"That would be wonderful, Val," Sylphiel said as her eyes lost focus. "It's good to belong someplace... and to someone." Her eyes flicked up to Gourry and away just a fast.

Val and Filia downed their sandwiches and cheesecake slices while Lina tried to snoop out the surprise treat Zel was hiding. He ended up out running her, carrying the bag out of sight.

Sylphiel looked at Filia, who was smiling at Val, and Amelia, who was talking to Kiki and sneaking furtive little glances up at Xelloss or following Zel's progress around the park. Filia was the only one having a good time, the only one with a real boyfriend. She wished the day was over.

Zelgadiss returned then Lina, panting and laughing at their silliness. "Time to open the box!"

"Speakin' of boxes," Val began. "Xelloss, you need ta take a look at what I found."

"_We_ found," Filia corrected in echo.

"I'm still waiting for McGywn to get back to me, although, now that you're here it's immaterial," Zel muttered.

"OPEN THE BOX!" Lina screamed.

Zel untied the cord holding on the lid, and looked it. "Ah, enough for everyone."

"What? What!" everyone asked.

Zelgadiss smiled. This was fun. He withdrew the first box-within-a-box and read the label, "To Lina," and tossed it to her unceremoniously.

She caught it and tore it open simultaneously, while Zel explained, "Gourry and Val pitched in for these as well, the ideas especially."

"SLUGS!" Lina screeched in a high-pitched wail.

Gourry caught the box as it slipped from her hand. "Gummy ones. Here, you have to dig through them to the bottom for the best part."

Xelloss passed a box to Sylphiel, wishing her a "Happy Valentine's Day!" He also handed one to Kiki, with a kiss, "Happy Valentine's Day, Kiki."

Zel held out the last one to Amelia, but she wouldn't reach for it. She was making him come closer. He walked up to her, grabbed her by the wrist and pressed it into her hand. "Hope you like it," he muttered, eyes lowered.

Filia looked at Zel and demanded, "Kiss her and give me mine!"

Val shook his head. "I didn't think you an' me would be here so I got yers." He took an envelope from his rear pant's pocket, creased and worn, and held it out of her reach. "Don't I get a kiss first?"

Embarrassed, Filia gave him a little peck, very little, on the cheek, "Depends what's inside..."

Zelgadiss, sporting his customary blush, waited for Amelia. "Ah, open it," he urged her.

Lina and Sylphiel had seen what was inside, and waited for the others to open theirs before saying anything, but they were all smiling with pleasure.

"Oh, Zelgadiss!" Amelia flung her arms around his neck. "Tickets to TMR! I thought his concerts were over a long time ago!"

He returned a little squeeze and freed his neck. "They were, but then he announced that he would be doing a special concert..."

"WHAT!" came the chorus of girlish squeals.

"Xelloss agreed to be the promoter and back another performance here in Seyruun," Zel began.

"It'll be in the papers tomorrow," Gourry said. "We wanted you to know first. And, um, you get ta met him, too."

And suddenly, the Slayers boys were forgotten as the Slayers girls began a frenzied exploration of what they would wear, or say, to this most charming young man from Japan. It had been the best Valentine's Day ever, they agreed.

* * *

From the Authors: **_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.--KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 41.


	42. Wedding Bell Blues

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 42 Wedding ****Bell**** Blues**

**** _When there is no wind, row." – Portuguese Proverb

* * *

_

"Hello, Agent Rodimus here..." The rapidly aging man sighed heavily and sat back more fully in his chair. "They found something significant on clan property, but I was unable to intercept. Worse than that, they may have seen my car, panicked and... I may have caused Mr. Agares to over react and draw attention to... Yes, he got a speeding ticket, I believe. I have to say, he showed great restraint and nothing more came of it. Yes, the kids are all back together. I'll do what I can, but whatever it was, it was turned over to the chief of police first of all. No, its back in the hands of Greywords and Metallium at this time. I understand. I'll do my best. Yes, ma'am."

He dialed a different number. "Zolf? Yeah, she wasn't too surprised. Now? Well, would you like to steal whatever the boys are playing with in their rooms? No, me neither. They'll have to set it down or leave it sometime. Right. Bye."

"McGywn had the fingerprint-photos pulled from the box and downloaded to us. After this, I'm going to suggest to Milgasia that the clan relinquish their records to the Seyruun police department. Why should we have to do their dirty work for them? Okay, so can we run some comparisons? How're you coming along with that program?" Xelloss nagged continuously from his room until Zelgadiss found it fit to respond.

Zelgadiss, at his terminal in his room next door, shouted, "I can get it to run, but it fails on reading the clan data–- surprise, surprise. I'm going to have to re-format the images from the settlement."

Xelloss knew that that meant waiting for Zel to code a conversion program and run thousands of records through it. "Shall I go heat up dinner and bring you some?"

"Feed Beast first."

"Okay," Xelloss smiled a half-smile and tottered off, leaving his intense friend to his work. "Oh, dog-geeee...time to fill your gut. Why people want dogs, I don't know. Eat, sleep, and slobber. Oh, don't look at me that way. I know you're about deaf and nearly blind as well. The day you become incontinent, you die, understand? I hope someone does the same for me someday. Okay, now for my

meal."

They had success a few hours later. "All right, it's halfway done converting the records. I'll take that dinner offer now."

Xelloss joined him in his room with two plates of Mrs. Shearer's casserole, set them down, and then returned with tea and a plate of bread a minute later. They waited, watched the screen, and munched in silence.

"Done. I'll try one image-print and see if there's a match," Zel muttered as he typed.

Seconds later, Xelloss brought up the details of the record matched. "Bin-go! That was quick...Val Agares. I guess that's no surprise. He handled it for sure."

"Finding that match is a good thing. It proves the programs are all working. Now the second image..." Zel said.

Again, a match was detected in seconds. "Huh? That can't be right. Mrs. Saunders?" Xelloss shook his head. "She's no spy. I can't imagine her idling away the hours on a mountaintop outpost without the rest of the clan noticing."

"I think we should give her a call and see what she says, but first I want to run the last set of prints." Zel typed a few commands then waited, this time far longer than the previous runs. "Ah, no match." He sounded disappointed. "Val and Julian's aged grandmother are it."

"And a mystery-person." Xelloss pointed out that possibly not all the other clans were on the database. "I'll call Filia first..."

Filia thought Xelloss was nuts, and became offended when he insinuated that Milgasia may have married into a family of traitors, Slate in particular.

"I'll try Milgasia next," Xelloss said.

"No, wait. Let me call Mrs. Saunders. She has a different perspective," Zel suggested as he used the database to locate her number. "There it is... Hello, this is Zelgadiss Greywords, a friend of Val and Filia's... Yes, and of Xelloss, too. Wedding? Oh, yes Milgasia's, they told me about that. Nice. You're right, though, I didn't call about that. I was calling about...a box. Well, I was hoping you could tell me 'which box'."

He listened while she described dozens of boxes, from soup to nuts, and then stopped her abruptly.

"Do you recall losing a metal one? How big? When...? Interesting. Well, would you recall any markings on it? I see, well...it may have been found, but nowhere near your home. If it's the same one, it's been used for duplicitous purposes by some unidentified other person. No, I don't know who, but we are pretty sure it was no one in your clan. I was wondering, would you know if all the clans kept records of their members, with fingerprints? Oh? You are certain? That's helpful. No, we're not sure it was another clan member at all, but that's where we're starting. Just a minute, Xelloss would like to talk to you."

While Zel began a call to Milgasia on Xelloss' cell phone, Xelloss requested that Mrs. Saunders keep this phone call confidential. He continued listening and chatting in a friendly tone, then said good bye.

Milgasia was explaining to Zel, "I understand the previous clan leader here tried to establish a single database for years, but a few of the clans on the outer fringes never complied."

"Would that include the ones we visited last summer– where your wife and family are from?" Zel asked.

"Yes, possibly. Why?"

"Why, ah..." Zel was unsure how much to reveal.

Xelloss was not. He took the phone and said, "We are trying to ID some fingerprints. We've managed to verify that they do not belong to anyone from Seyruun or the clans on your database. Oh, Luna sanctions all this, if that helps. We want to prove it's not clan before digging into the syndicate records."

The keyword here was 'Luna'. Milgasia said he would get the information and get back to him via e-mail.

In the meantime, Zel opened the recovered book and scanned for dates. "Mrs. Saunders told me she lost a gray, steel document security box a number of months ago, just before she and her daughter left on holiday last summer. She kept important documents in it, but when she'd taken it out last time, her daughter spilled her soft drink on it. She'd washed it off and left it on the window sill to dry, and then it was gone. From what I can tell, the entries begin about that time, no sooner. See, there's some mention of the heat and lack of water '...spring's running low.' Val mentioned a spring where he collected water. But nothing here in the beginning about rains. Looking, more recently it says '...missed due to snow closing road.' Unless we can decode the time and date signatures, it's the best we can do."

"Okay, so we'll work on that and in the meantime assume Mrs. Saunders is innocent. That means the outpost hasn't been used for long-- for surveillance. Let's assume Milgasia gets nowhere with those other fingerprint records. We need to find another way to nail the culprit, right? So, how about I get Val in on this? We'll devise information leaks to feed Jillas and Gravos, and then trace where it goes. Val told me Milgasia and he couldn't get them to live on settlement but that they agreed to act as go-betweens."

"For money, of course."

"Oh yeah, but they're cheap. I'll cover that," Xelloss smiled.

"Sure, spread the dirt with dirty money."

"Absolutely! Manure for manure!"

Zel smiled and shook his head. "Time to decode this baby. Hey, wait..." he turned over a few pages then scrutinized one, "Here's something important from the police fingerprint techie– he wrote: 'prints #1 and #3 were found on both articles, but prints #2 were only on the exterior box.' Well, that helps exonerate Mrs. Saunders; hers were #2."

"Terrific! Okay. While you work on the deciphering, I'm going to finish scanning in the pages into the computer and then try to condense the information into some sort of useable form," Xelloss said, then left with the dishes.

He had to keep busy to keep his mind off his own problems. Over and over he tried to convince himself to let go of the 'Lina dream' and accept that he was a week away from becoming a married man. Did he want to choose flowers? No. He'd choose carelessly or go for dead ones. He had done the ring business and that was enough, oh...and he had secured Nels Lahda to perform the ceremony, much to the man's surprise. That had been awkward to explain. The head priest was clearly not thrilled with the situation, but agreed out of friendship for the boy. Normally, the head of the White Shrine of Seyruun did not condone forced marriages.

Mayor Phil had offered his estate for the affair and his cook's services for the catering, all of which Kiki's parents had accepted gratefully. They wanted everything to be legitimate, but cost-efficient and small in size– providing little room for something to go wrong.

And then there were the clothes. Xelloss invited Zelgadiss, Val, and Gourry to join him and buy new suits. So mournful a group they appeared-- choosing all-black suits, shirts, and ties-- that the salesman asked them who had died. Xelloss smiled and replied, "I'm getting married," to which the embarrassed man muttered, "My condolences."

Xelloss paid for the men's and women's attire, giving Kiki free-reign to choose 'whatever you want' for Lina, Filia, Sylphiel, Amelia and herself– with the caveat 'Just not purple, please, and don't stint.'

The girls spent a morning locating and fitting dresses. Had the occasion been more joyous, it would have been a flawless day out. Kiki had her dress already. Her veil, Amelia's mother's, was exquisite and borrowed for the day. By noon, they settled on a restaurant for lunch and a well-deserved rest.

"Isn't it wonderful that we can all wear lavender?" Amelia declared as openers.

Lina passed on commenting, choosing to devour two portions of chili in a row.

"And that we found matching shoes was, like, too cool!" Sylphiel upped the ante.

"It was generous of Mr. Xelloss to pay for all of it, don't you think?" Amelia thought aloud.

"He can afford it," Filia assured her unnecessarily. "And as long as he's footing this bill as well, I'll have dessert."

They laughed and traded light banter for a bit longer. Then Kiki sighed, "But now that it's certain to happen, I realize how unprepared I am!"

"Have you talked to him about all this?" Sylphiel asked. "He's pretty open about stuff and he likes to talk."

Kiki shook her head. "I can't talk to...a man about those things."

"Xelloss is pretty savvy, Kiki." Filia wanted to be reassuring, but was curious, too. "Have you two ever fooled around?"

Kiki flushed immediately and shook her head. "_Non_..."

"Oh, well, do you know about his scars?"

"Y-yes, he showed me. They were terrible." Kiki looked up at Filia. "Have you?"

"Fooled around?" she chuckled slightly. "No, not much...not with him at all! But we've all seen nude pictures of Xelloss and he's nice looking, once you get past the mutilation."

Kiki looked at Amelia. "You?"

"Me? Ah, not really. I tried to get Zelgadiss to notice me once..." Amelia giggled and told the story of her mis-adventure. "But it mostly shocked him."

Filia smiled slyly. "But you saw him right? Zel-bob wasn't dressed when he pulled off the covers."

Amelia's turn to blush. "Well, it was dark...but yeah..." She giggled nervously a little more, "Guys look so weird!"

Sylphiel concurred. "And they're so self-conscious about it! 'Am I big enough?', like girls care about that... Well, it's true!"

"Yeah, they're pretty floppy and stupid-looking without clothes," Filia agreed. "Women are much neater and sleeker. I'd never want to do male nude paintings. So, back to our Zel... Is he covered, like totally, with those burns?"

Amelia nodded, "I think so, I wasn't really looking. I wasn't! I mean, I didn't give him an up-close examination. There wasn't time and...I was so yucked out by the way he felt. I mean, his skin's not smooth and he's got sharp bones. He's a normal guy and all but..."

"Like I said, they should keep their clothes on," Filia summarized.

Lina had been absolutely silent the entire time, until now. "Right."

"So, what's Gourry like?" Filia asked, turning the attention to Lina.

"Gourry? How should I know!"

"You've stayed over at his house...with his parents gone and don't forget that night in Atlas City, you two alone...all night," Filia was teasing, but Lina did not take it well.

"Nothing happened! " Lina snapped. "We watched videos and he made food. Rodimus was there, too, you forget, but nothing woulda happened anyway."

Sylphiel wanted to calm her down. "We know. You don't think of him that way, do you? It's not like he's your boyfriend."

"Yeah...that's...right," Lina muttered.

"You spend more time with Mr. Xelloss, don't you?" Amelia noted cheerfully.

"Is he still...?" Filia stopped herself in time. Kiki was sitting right there. "He once liked Lina, you see, Sylphiel too, that was after you left last year. He's never dated them, though." Then she informed Kiki about the nude photos, so she didn't get the wrong idea. Filia thought it was best if everything was out in the open, at least the past. She even contributed her 'Xelloss lost his room keys' story and how upset he was in the morning when they'd overslept and her parents had caught him sharing her hotel room.

That led to an 'Amelia and Xelloss' story, then one from Sylphiel. Even Lina enjoyed telling about a few of her adventures with Xelloss. Before long, Kiki had learned a great deal about her future husband, mostly endearing. He was caring and loving, silly, and outrageous, but never cruel or demanding. She felt bunches better, she told them, thanking them all for the afternoon. She could face the upcoming nuptials a bit better, she said, and promised to confront him about her fears right away.

Filia closed in on Amelia, though for more details on Zelgadiss. "Come on, I'm really curious, Amelia!"

"Miss Filia!" she demurred. "It really was dark!" She wasn't about to give away any of his intimate secrets.

The stipulated day arrived with the late winter sun breaking through the fog long enough to signal the change from morning to afternoon. Gourry had driven Lina to Amelia's earlier (way too early in the morning for her tastes), where she and the other girls dressed in Amelia's room and the boys dressed...someplace downstairs. They had 'done up' each other's hair and tried their best to calm Kiki's nerves.

Now, Kiki's friends lined up on either side of the paved walk which ended with a stark, coal-black, wrought-iron arch. The girls looked pretty in their knee-length, lavender dresses and hair put up with a few flowers pinned in. Pretty, but starting to shiver as the wind picked up. They stood awkwardly facing the boys, who in comparison looked dark, despondent, and devastatingly handsome. Amelia and Zelgadiss were first, then Sylphiel and Gourry, then Filia and Val, and Lina was last, by choice. Aside from the Mayor and Nels Lahda, only Kiki's parents were to be present. Xelloss had made Rezo promise not to come and Mrs. Gabriev had to be escorted out of town by her husband, she'd been so determined to come.

Lina was grim and growing more uncomfortable by the minute. She had wanted to say something to Xelloss; she wasn't sure what, but something. He hadn't stopped by her house all week, a first in she couldn't remember how long. She found that she had actually missed him, his humor, his acumen, his- and this was the hardest to acknowledge- attention. He had other things to do and other things on his mind, for sure, but never so much as to completely forget about her... before.

Lina's eye's traveled over to Gourry, standing tall and serious-looking. Black was too harsh on him, she thought. Dark blue would be better, like the evening sky, his hair a sweep of stardust. He must have felt her gaze settle on him, because he turned his head slightly to see her face. He smiled and nodded.

He should have felt terrific this day, he told himself. Xelloss was marrying Kiki; the battle for Lina was really over. But, Gourry found, as glad as he was to have his competition eliminated, he could imagine how awful Xelloss must be feeling– not just about getting married to someone he didn't love, but to lose Lina, forever. That, Gourry could attest to, would be horrible. It was sobering, so much so that his heart was heavy for the man he called friend, and he couldn't consider his own good fortune in that light, not this day. He turned and saw Lina's troubled eyes on him. She was appraising his solid figure in his new suit and it made him feel good to be admired. He smiled tentatively, and then looked up as Nels Lahda appeared.

Lina scanned her other friends, wondering how they were taking all this. Sylphiel dabbed at her eyes. Was she crying? Lina didn't blame her this time, though; she felt like someone had died. Like when her father died, her mother left, her best friend lay swathed in bandages, Hokuto... It was better when it was she who was at death's gate. Everything was golden light and soft. This was gloomy, dreary, and stinging cold. Her attention shifted; poor Amelia. She looked drawn and pale despite Filia's attempt to add a little 'blush' to her cheeks for color. Lina noted that Amelia kept trying to catch Zel's eyes, but he was off in outer space. Ah, Zel...Lina figured he was about to faint; he looked ill or nervous or both. She couldn't stand looking at his suffering expression any longer for fear of breaking down herself. Better to watch two clan-kids. Val and Filia were so caught up in each other; it shielded them from the devastating emotional turmoil aggravating the others.

Lina sighed and thought, "Lucky them."

Xelloss was not proud of this event. He had wanted no one to come, but the other Slayers, he was unable to persuade under any circumstances to just leave them alone. He noted the time. Nels Lahda had taken up his station at the head of the line, under the arch. _Time to go_. Xelloss strode from the house, determined to 'get this over with' as quickly as possible- painlessly, was impossible. He reflected on his evening before. He and Kiki had talked late into the night, by her parents permission at her house. She was scared the death of 'intimate relations' with him and he wasn't looking forward to initiating sex with her either. What a start to a lifetime of wedded bliss! It was no wonder that he came to stood under the arch looking as dark as the proverbial storm cloud.

Alternatively, Kiki floated up the lane like a breath of fresh air. Her face was completely covered in a fingertip-length veil, and so, her expression was indecipherable. It wasn't until she stopped at Xelloss' side that the trembling of her hands, gripping a pair of lilac-colored lilies, was noticeable.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered today to join these two young people in holy matrimony," Nels Lahda intoned flatly.

"**_Unholy_**," Lina said under her breath, but Zel could hear her.

Zelgadiss was sweating bullets. He had what was perhaps the key to the end game here. But was it? Was he the one to do this? Could he? His eyes met Amelia's and he stole strength from her resilience and perseverance. He stepped to her side and whispered a few words.

Nels Lahda continued to speak, but as he parted from Amelia's side, Zel's heart was pounding so hard he couldn't hear the words. It was now...or forever hold his peace...

"I've listened to this long enough," Zelgadiss shouted abruptly. "And I can't let this fiasco continue any longer."

All eyes had turned on him. He wasn't sure he could pull it off, his plan. His scheme to force Kiki to break off her engagement to his best friend Xelloss had been concocted after his run-in with Miwan, cemented into place with dire warnings by Luna, but he had summoned the courage to act only moments before– 42.5 seconds to be precise-- in a desperate need to do...something. But, after drawing all eyes on him, he had doubts the size of elephants. Make that _Olliphants_. He wasn't certain he was that convincing of an actor or if he had the guts to take the next step or, if he did, that it would have the desired effect or that he would survive it when it was all over. And if he managed to last to the end of the traumatic situation, then Xelloss just might kill him. Hell, he just might kill himself, forget Xelloss!

Just prior to shouting out those words drawing all the attention to his next utterance, he had whispered a brief, hopefully explanatory message to Amelia. "I have to do something. Trust me, Amelia; pray to Cephied that I can carry this off..."

She had opened her mouth to question him, but seeing that his 'act' was already in process, she clammed up and watched the show. And it was a show. Where Zelgadiss ever found the courage to do it, she did not know. Perhaps their last talk together where she expressed Kiki's sorrow over her situation and Xelloss' dogged determination to do 'the right thing,' had sent Zel over the edge. She didn't know, but she did trust his heart to do the right thing by his friends. She just wasn't at all as certain about his logic. Where had he stowed all his reserve and aloofness?

"You can't do this...to me!" Zelgadiss shouted, his voice catching with emotion. He stepped forward and looked Xelloss directly in the eye.

"What is it, young man? What are you talking about?" Kiki's mother asked. As an aside to her husband who was frowning, she added in their native language, "He is a rather abrupt and rude young man. It's too bad he couldn't be more like his brother."

Nels Lahda looked up from his ceremonial book. "Zelgadiss, this is not the time... This is a serious breach of protocol."

Zelgadiss straightened, his posture rigid with tension. He had heard the woman's comment and its cruelty solidified his resolve. He ignored Nels Lahda completely. Still fixing his brother with his eyes, he went on, "It is not right or fair. I can't let you do this, Xelloss. Not..." Zel drew his breath, "...after all we've had...together."

At this point, Xelloss gave him a quizzical look and asked, "Really? What do you mean?"

"I know you've tried," Zel began again. He turned toward Kiki. "He really did, but after you left last year, he finally gave into his true self, knowing you'd never return. And now, I can't let you take him away. I just can't. You...you will find another guy. You're so pretty and charming...but, as you can see, I'm not so lucky. I don't get so many second chances, so I'm going to...to fight this time."

Amelia's eyes widened as she filled Zel's true meaning in between the lines he'd blurted out. He was shaking, she could see it. And now, yes, she could tell by Xelloss' odd expression, as the blood left his face, that he had caught the drift too. Oh her poor, brave, dear Zelgadiss... She hoped Xelloss would play along.

Zel drew another, a deep shuddering breath, and dove at Xelloss, kissing him firmly, but briefly on the lips. Xelloss hadn't been expecting that. He did understand the gist of Zel's rant, but the kiss, no. That, he was unprepared for. It was over quickly, but he grabbed onto Zel's shoulders and held him close. He rapidly whispered into his ear, so softly he knew no one but Zel could hear, "Not convincing enough. Even the French men kiss each other longer than that."

Zel heard, but he was so flustered that the only part that stuck in his brain was the 'French' part, which was fortunate, actually, because in the next instant, Xelloss returned to deepening the kiss, transforming it into something far more erotic. Xelloss rammed his tongue past his teeth, scouring his mouth with a blazing hot kiss that brought the house down.

There were a lot of gasping sounds followed by faltering starts of conversation, and then...

"Are you saying that you and...Xelloss are...?"

"More than friends? Beyond mere brotherly love?" Zel managed to say after parting from Xelloss' grasp. "We've been living together for over a year now. He tried to change, for Kiki, but he can't. He'll never feel for her like he does...for me!"

"That's true," Xelloss said. He gave his friend an odd smile, and then wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Well, it was true! Zelgadiss was like his brother, Kiki his sister–totally different feelings. His free hand was holding tightly to Kiki's still. "Try as I like, there's really nothing I can do about it. I was just born this way, when you think about it..."

Now, both Kiki's parents began to shout, her father yanking her arm and pulling her away from Xelloss. "_C'est__ un scandale_!" her mother screamed, followed by a stream of disparaging comments.

Xelloss was speaking in French, rapidly and furiously. "It's not so bad... _pas mal_..."

There was a frisson of excitement along with a douse of queasy apprehension running through Zelgadiss. Would it work? After all this, was it enough? He wished now that he had studied French instead of German.

"My...mother? I'm certain she was aware, but Kiki couldn't have possibly known, _Monsieur_. Why...I've really only fully come to grips with it myself just recently..." Xelloss explained.

"Like about two minutes ago," Amelia whispered into Lina's ear with a wink.

Okay...Lina was catching on to the game going on. Val, standing arms folded and wearing an amused look on his face, probably did as well. Sylphiel was in shock, and Gourry, who had caught her as she fainted away, was completely flummoxed.

Filia was not amused. "Oh, come off it Xelly, I had you pegged from the beginning and you know it, but Zel...by Cephied, I don't...I can't...It's just not... Xelloss! It's all your fault! You did this to him! You perverted our poor Zel!" She screamed and ran up to him to pound him good and hard with both fists.

Xelloss caught her by both wrists and held her arms apart. "I can assure you, he'd just as much a player here as I am...more, probably." He opened his eyes wide, scaring the bejebees out of her, and then winked in jest.

Val had to lope off away from the others before bursting into laughter. _Zel...Zel! What an act! Shit! That had to work! What parents would make their daughter marry a guy with a live-in boyfriend? That would be way too complicated! Ah, Zel...how are you gonna look yerself in mirror later, huh? Ha, ha, ha..._

Xelloss had grappled successfully with both the struggling Filia and Kiki's French-babbling parents. And was now standing confidently beside a very nervous and red-faced Zelgadiss, explaining his complex sexual orientations, his total disinterest in fathering children ever, ever, ever, his on-going relationship with Zelgadiss, with a supply of details that were far too personal for Zel's liking (_What birthmark on my butt?_), and his confusion about where they should go from here. And this was odd, because Xelloss had never been able to navigate around a sea of so many lies before and carry it off convincingly!

Zelgadiss was glad to be alive, barely. He was focusing on a passing cloud, (_or was that the fog burning off?_) wondering what it would feel like to be a vapor. _Yes, just vaporize on the spot, never to be seen or heard from again. That would suffice. That would be good. _The knot in is stomach clenched up. _Oh, joy..._ He hoped he wouldn't puke on his shoes. Then he found that he was no longer looking at the clouds. He was staring straight at Amelia, and she flashed him a brilliant smile and thumbs up. Sigh...well, he hoped all would be well. He wouldn't look at anyone else. Not just yet. In particular, not Xelloss.

_Damn, would he never stop talking!_

Eventually, Xelloss did. Kiki's parents were tearing up some document, demanding some other one, which Mayor Phil, still holding a valid lawyer's license, was quick to supply. With a flash of pens, some kind of deal was being formulated, signed, sealed, and finalized.

Kiki, temporarily forgotten by her parents, hurried over to say a few words to Xelloss and Zelgadiss. "Oh, so clever and brave you are Zel-ly. Thank you. Xelloss, don't worry, you and I...we will talk tomorrow, I promise. Oops! Here comes mama and papa. I have to go now. Bye, bye!" she whispered rapidly, and then kissed them both lightly on the cheek before hurrying off, following her parents to their car.

"Well," Xelloss smiled at Zel. "That's that!"

"Oh? So...the engagement and wedding is called off then?" Zel asked. He looked worn to a thread.

"Yep. They tore up the pre-nuptial agreement they'd made us both sign. And, for a right smart sum of money I am off the hook." He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Thanks, that was...an unbelievably generous...amazingly ..."

"You'd better be talking about my idea and not the...kiss," Zel grumbled with a frown.

"Yes!" Xelloss laughed aloud. "Gods, that kiss was crap, Zelgadiss. Really, you just haven't the right moves and you're hard as a rock. I prefer my partners on the soft side, actually, and with hair that won't put out my eye and..."

"All right, that's all..." Zel waved him off. "I'm going home to sleep. About five years. Yes, or more. That ought to be enough to wipe this day out of my memory."

Xelloss was continuing his talk as Amelia, Lina, et al were joining them. "Really, Amelia, you have your work set out for you. He really needs to loosen up and... Hey! Ouch!"

Zel landed a couple punches to his stomach, just hard enough to stop the jabber.

"Oof! Okay!"

Zel gave him one more shove, "I'm leaving, so if you want a ride..."

Amelia threw her arms around Zelgadiss and said, "That was wonderful of you Zelgadiss. Daddy just explained how Xelloss and Kiki are free again. And it was all thanks to you..."

Zel stood awkwardly, unsure where to put his arms. Phil, he could see, was looking their way.

Val laughed, "That and Xelloss' winnin' score at tonsil hockey!"

Zel blushed ten shades darker. That did it. He would never live this day down, unless... He had a thought and decided to act on that one too. What did he have to lose? He looked down into her eyes.

Amelia thought Zelgadiss wanted her to release her grip on him, and so, began to loosen her hold when he brought his arms down and hugged her in return. Before she had the chance to say anything he drew her closer, dipped his chin slightly, and kissed her solidly on the lips. He softened his touch, pressing gently, just as he had learned from his experience with Xelloss, and then moved his lips gently, enjoying the tender contact a moment longer before parting from her. "That's better," he whispered as he pulled back. He caught her stunned but pleased expression, smiled slyly, and said to everyone else, "Now, I am going." He turned and stalked off.

"Wait for me!" Xelloss chortled and ran to catch up.

"Well," Lina brushed off her hands on her dress. "Show's over. Time to go home. Thanks, Amelia for the picnic, but I gotta tell you, the dessert was a bit hard to swallow."

Amelia laughed, "Sorry! I'll have something better next time, although, it might not be so sweet." Wow! Zel had kissed her in front of all his friends and her daddy, too! And what a kiss!

Lina gestured with both arms flying, "Gods, I hope not. My teeth are aching as it is!"

"It's my stomach," Filia groaned. "...that's taken a decided downturn."

"And my head..." Sylphiel moaned.

"Mine don't feel so good either," Gourry said with a mournful tone.

"Eh, well. You're givin' me a ride, right?" Lina asked with a jab to Gourry's rib cage.

He smiled, "Sure thing, Lina. But, I don't get it. So, Zel likes both Xelloss and Amelia now?"

Lina looked up baffled. "Ah, sure. Zel likes us all, Gourry, but that was all just an act to get Kiki's folks to stop the wedding. Lucky for him it worked, right?"

Gourry grinned, "It did? Then, that's great! I think I can eat some now, then. How 'bout a hot fudge sundae?"

"Me too?" Sylphiel cried out.

"No, yer riding with me," her father sighed. "You have school work to catch up on if you're going to be preparing more for that musical."

"Same with me and Filia," Val said possibly to make Sylphiel feel less left out. "We're headin' out to the settlement and got work, too."

"Oh, ah...yeah," Sylphiel smiled and hurried over to the chair where she'd left her coat and purse. "Bye everyone!"

"Good bye everybody!" Amelia shouted and waved until the last of her friends were out of sight. She turned when she heard a familiar gravelly chuckle behind her. "Daddy?"

"Those were some opportunists, those people. Oh, not the girl. She's a sweet heart, but her parents. They were out to secure themselves quite a family fortune. Too bad, actually. I thought she and Xelloss made... a nice young couple."

"But too young to get married, Daddy!" Amelia insisted.

"Oh, well, yes, she was. But he...well, I think he's almost ready to take on a responsibility like that, with the right girl, of course."

"Of course." Amelia nodded and smiled. "And I thought Zelgadiss was very brave to take a chance like that...and all."

Mayor Philonel shook his head with a bemused smile, "That boy just amazes me at times. I once was troubled... concerned that he was too cold, that his heart was damaged and that he was unable to feel strongly about someone other than himself. But, once again, he's proven me wrong. He feels strongly and has become more and more outspoken as well."

"He warned me, just before he ran up to Mr. Xelloss and...kissed him. Just so I knew, in case...so I wouldn't be too shocked and to be sure I'd trust in him. He warned me, Daddy, not Miss Lina. I think that means that he...likes me in a special way now, don't you think so?"

"Yes, he was considering your feelings as well so you'd not be hurt unnecessarily. Yes, my darling daughter, I think you are right. He must care for you deeply as well." He looked down at his little girl and smiled. Zelgadiss' mother was younger than her when he was born. His little girl wasn't so little, and what he thought had been puppy love in her eyes, was growing too. That young Greywords had better treasure her deeply! "I'm going in now. Too much excitement for me today!"

"Me too!" Amelia cried out. "How about we make hot chocolate and read by the fire? It's really cold this afternoon!"

"Ah, now that's the best idea I've heard all day. My darling, daughter...lead on!"

"Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods!" Xelloss was repeating, half laughing, half crying.

Zelgadiss shook his head and drove on. "After you call and cancel your honeymoon hotel reservations, do me a favor and call Luna and give her the news. Save my ass, all right?"

He could make out the sounds of Xelloss fumbling with his cell phone. "Luna? Yes! YES! I am a free man again! Who? Zelgadiss..." Zel could feel the smile aimed his way. "Zelgadiss was superb! He played his role quite convincingly, although if they'd all stuck around a moment longer they would have caught him planting a monster kiss on his little princess– claiming his prize. Oof! Hey...okay, he's right here next to me in the car so I can't speak freely...what? Okay, I'll tell him. Thanks, bye now!"

Xelloss sighed. "She says 'you are off the hook', but I don't know for what. Do you know for what?"

Zel shrugged. "Ah, probably my waiting so long to get you off or letting you get into the fix in the first case– take your pick. She doesn't think the three of us take good enough care of one another. If we're not better, I have this sinking feeling she's going to move in and take control."

"The hor-ror!" Xelloss giggled. "Next call! "Hello! It's me and I'm free!"

"Who are you talking to now?" Zel took his eyes off the road long enough to catch Xelloss mouth 'Re-zo'. "No, don't tell him what I did, Xelloss!" he groaned.

"Zelgadiss got me out of it. How? Well, he told them we were lovers and that they had no chance of ever seeing grandchildren. It was great. I am so relieved. Ah, Dad? Dad? Hel-loooo-ho, Re-zzzo-ho! Hmm, that's odd. I don't think he's hung up."

"He's probably fainted, or...had a heart attack. Ha! Xelloss, you killed him! Xelloss, father-killer for the fourth time!"

"Ah, no. He heard that, Zelgadiss, and he says that it wasn't funny. He was shocked, that's all. It's all right, Dad, 'cause he started making out with Amelia after Kiki and her family tore off. Oh, yeah, Ole Phil was there, too. Who knows what he was thinking! Not that it matters since Zelgadiss was already banned from the mayor's place..."

"NO! No, don't tell him about that!"

"If you insist..." Xelloss said to Rezo, and then smiled over at his brother, catching his glare. "Zelgadiss, he says he heard that too and now I have to explain. Dad? Okay, see a few weeks ago..."

"Noooo..." He moaned and pulled into their driveway. "Didn't my good deed buy me any good karma?"

"Amelia came over to our house for a visit, but we were...in chem lab so Val let her in. Unbeknownst to Vally-boy, she had a plan and as soon as he had slunk back into that cave of a room he lives in...No, he painted it 'sand' because the cleaning crew refused to enter it when it was black. Creeped them out, they said. Well, of course, it bugged me, too! But it's still a dive, regardless of the color. He has no design sense, which is odd for an artistic guy like him. Did you know he wants to go to art school? He did? Really? No, I didn't know he ever talked to you. Well, that's nice. I know, too bad about Zelgadiss, but at least you have us. Back to what? Oh, yes, Amelia..."

"Gods...no..." Zel slammed the car door and ran up to the front door of his house. He refused to listen to that retelling.

"So she had this stupid idea to take off her clothes and lie in wait for Zelgadiss to return and find her irresistible...who gave her that idea, you ask? Sylphiel, I believe. Yeah, figures, huh? Next? Well, Zelgadiss took a shower and climbed in and found Beast had shaved his legs, ha, ha... Well, I wasn't there, but they tell me nothing happened. They talked and he took her home. Unfortunately, not only was Amelia trying to get the amorous attention of our boy here, but she was in a rebellious mood against her 'daddy darling' as well! She told the ole boy what she'd done, and then Phil had a fit and tossed Zelgadiss out on his ear. Yes, sad affair, but I think he's easing up. Both of them! Zelgadiss' problem? Well, I think it's love avoidance, I mean, he has desires... Oh yeah, he's told me about those, He just can't admit he loves the one that loves him. Why? Because he's ashamed of his body, for one, and... Well, the cure...is not so great, at best, although he's showing some improvement lately. Me? I haven't tried yet. It doesn't seem to put off that many girls...and well, we both hate hospitals and skin grafts take a long time. We just have no free time. Maybe after the musical... Okay, I promise to drag him to the doctor then. He's so easy to force into uncomfortable situations. No, I was joking. No, you can't get him on this phone. He left long ago and went into the house. Okay, well, thanks...okay, good bye."

Zel was inside making a pot of tea. He heard Xelloss enter the house, then collapse on the couch in a combination of hysterics and tears. The teakettle whistled and he poured the hot water over the pot of loose leaves. While waiting for the tea to brew, he fed the fish and changed Beast's water bowl for a clean one. Xelloss had quieted; his breathing coming in shuddering gasps. Zel poured the jasmine-scented tea through a filter into two mugs, added two spoonfuls of sugar to one then carried the two mugs into the living room.

"Here." When Xelloss didn't move, he wondered if had fallen asleep. Then Xelloss sighed and sat up.

"Thanks," Xelloss said gratefully as he sipped his hot drink. "What a day, huh?"

"One I am glad to say that is over. Want to go over more of that data or play a game?"

"Game... Then dinner."

"What time is it?"

"Almost midnight."

"Let's go get the girls," Xelloss suggested cheerfully.

"What? Now? We just left them! Why would they want to see us again this soon, Kiki especially? Look at the time, I said MIDNIGHT. They are probably asleep and most certainly aren't going to be allowed out with us or anybody. Sometimes, Xelloss I wonder about you..."

"It will be fun. Come on!"

Zel shook his head, but Xelloss looked determined. "Xelloss, you are nuts."

With a tilt to his head, Xelloss replied, "I can't do this without an accomplice. Besides, what have you got to lose?"

Zel opened his mouth to list his strong points, but then... "Not a thing. All right, lead on. What are we doing exactly?"

Xelloss laughed and snatched up the car keys. "Kiki's first. I'll climb to her balcony... What's so funny? I can do that. There's a fire escape. Gabriev Construction...safety first..."

"Fine. So, Romeo, you'll climb to her room then what...kidnap her?"

"Yep! Then on to Amelia's."

"Great..."

With some difficulty, Xelloss got his girl. She was giggling as he stuffed her into the back seat of the sports car. "Warm enough?"

"No, my feet, they are bare and this is a light robe, not a coat!" she acknowledged in mock anger.

"Poor baby. You're sitting on a blanket. Wrap up!" Xelloss said in response then started up the engine. "Amelia's... next stop on this route tonight!"

Zelgadiss was now regretting his earlier attempt at spontaneity. Why was he doing this? How was this not going to end him up in more trouble? Then when the mansion was in sight, he realized that he should have been thinking more about how he was going to achieve his goal. "There's a new security system installed. I can't just 'climb a wall' or throw rocks at her window," he muttered as Xelloss parked in a hidden spot. Zel smiled. "Got it!" He called her cell phone number.

"Amelia, it's me...Zel. No, no emergency, but...can you come down to the front door without setting off all the house alarms? I'll tell you then. Bye." He looked over at Xelloss. "Be right back."

A minute later, he and Amelia were running hand-in-hand, him pulling her along, to the car. "What's going on? Why can't I have shoes? It's cold. Kiki? You're here, too?"

"Just get in and be quiet," Zel whispered and silently closed the door after taking his own seat up front. "Done," he said smugly, his eyes revealing how much satisfaction he felt keeping up with Xelloss.

"Cool. Back to the house by way of the FrostyCone 24-Hour takeout!" Xelloss giggled and drove off.

"Ice cream? At midnight? Oh, Mr. Xelloss..." Amelia shook her head. "Daddy will kill me, if he finds out."

"I won't tell," Xelloss smiled.

Not much later, they were enjoying their sundaes in the kitchen of Xelloss and Zel's house. "So, why is it that you guys get to be dressed while we must freeze to death in our night robes? It is not fair, is it Amelia?"

Zelgadiss watched as Xelloss crept up from behind Kiki and wrapped his arms around her. "Better now?"

Kiki giggled, "Yes, but that's not what I meant."

Xelloss' eyebrows shot up. "You want us to...disrobe? Here? In the presence of young, impressionable, ladies?"

She giggled at his silly act and shook her head.

"Mr. Xelloss! You shouldn't even joke about that..."

"Oh? And this coming from," he dropped his voice, "the mysterious bed stalker herself."

"Mr. Xelloss!" Amelia blushed and looked scandalized.

Zel stopped him from teasing her further by diverting the conversation onto another track entirely. He noticed Amelia was yawning. "Xelloss, I think it's time to take them home now. It's late."

Xelloss checked the time. "You're right. Everyone done? Wasn't this fun?"

"It was unexpected," Amelia replied with a yawn.

The car passed by the park, a dark patch this late at night, and then turned the corner onto Kiki's block. Zel's jaw clenched, "No...watch it, I hear sirens, Xelloss."

As they slowed to a stop in front of the house across the street from Kiki's place. An emergency van screamed up the lane closing fast. Two police vehicles were forming a road block at the opposite end of the street, while another was already parked in the drive. A next-door neighbor dressed in nightclothes was being escorted back to their home by a lady officer. A plain-clothes cluster of detectives disappeared into the house.

"W-What's happening?" Kiki cried out.

"Someone must be hurt," Zel said tentatively. "Stay here and we'll go see."

"It's my parents! I must go, too!" She insisted, dropping into her native tongue to Xelloss as he helped her out of the back seat.

Amelia hopped out as well, and all four kids crossed the street to the house. No one seemed to notice them until they were inside.

"Mama! Papa!"

A tall, dark-haired detective spun around, "Where did she come from? You... I know you. You're the Slayers kids, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Detective Laytner from Sairaag? Um, this is Kiki. This is her house," Zel explained.

"Hello, Kiki. Ah, Ryo and I are now assigned here in Seyruun by your new Chief of Police, special request. Now, you stay here until we know what's going on. Hey, you, ah... Xelloss! Ah, not that guy!"

Xelloss had disappeared. He found what he was looking for in an upstairs room. "They're both dead. Shot once in the head, right?"

"Who?" Ryo stood and whipped his head around abruptly. "Who? Oh, ah, Xelloss, correct? What are you doing here? You shouldn't be..."

"Ryo? From the concert, yeah. I know, but I'm right, aren't I, about the murder? Or should I say, execution?"

Their eyes met, dark brown and purple. "Yes. That puts you in a bad position, Mr. Metallium."

Xelloss shook his head. "I didn't do it, if that's what you mean. Ask Zelgadiss or the girls. Kiki...she's downstairs and these are her parents. We've all been together since around midnight. Come here, I'll show you something."

They met Dee Laytner and the others downstairs. "Don't let her go up there," Xelloss said to Zel in passing. "Kiki, your parents were shot. I'd say without a doubt it was a syndicate hit."

He held a sobbing Kiki to his chest as two policemen stormed over. One man pointed an accusatory finger at him and declared, "Oh? And what makes you the authority around here. I think you outta be arrested."

Xelloss pressed his lips together in a fine line, exhibiting a great deal of control, Zel thought. Zel took over. "His name is Xelloss Metallium, and you are standing in what was once his house, mine too for a short time. It was destroyed by the syndicate, if you recollect. Does this ring a bell? He explained to everyone at the time a few sure signs like...the locks on the doors. You'll find those blown out with a particular brand of explosives. Just ask him, he'll point out all the trademarks for you."

Ryo looked Xelloss in he eye again, "Show me."

Xelloss nodded and started off.

The outspoken cop wasn't letting him off so easily. "Why should we believe you? A punk like you...?"

Xelloss hesitated for only a moment then answered in a low, measured voice, "My mother was in charge of the entire Western quadrant of the syndicate, sir. For a time, I worked for her in a double-agent capacity and another called Hell Master Phibrizzo. But not any more. So, you see, I have had a great deal of experience dealing with them." He turned on a heel and led Ryo to the door, pausing to point out some markings made when the locks were damaged. He pointed out a few plastic tubes discarded in the bushes by the door.

"I'd like to recommend that you come downtown and give a training session on the syndicate. What you've told me in the last few minutes nearly doubles what I knew. I'm sure you could teach everyone more. "

"I don't know, Ryo," Xelloss hedged. "Take it up with your chief first. I try to keep a low profile and I think he prefers that I do, that we all do...the Slayers. But, I would be happy to share what I can."

Ryo caught that 'what I can'. He wondered more about Xelloss' current ties to the syndicate, but decided to leave it for now. They rejoined his partner, Zel, and the girls.

"What do we do now?" Xelloss wondered aloud.

"We all go to my house. Kiki will stay with me. Daddy's got to be informed immediately." Amelia had no doubts.

"Her father's Mayor Philonel," Zel finished.

Dee and Ryo spoke to the officer on duty, giving him a few instructions, and then followed the kids out the door. Dee pulled Zel aside and told him, "We'll follow behind in our car, so drive slowly and don't try to get away- not that I don't trust you. There's a safety issue here, both yours' and the girls'. Also, we'd like to speak to the mayor as well."

"Fine."

Xelloss and Kiki rode with the detectives, while Zel and Amelia led the procession. Another memorable and tragic day. What made it even worse was that Zel couldn't shake the disturbing feeling that Xelloss had something to do with all of this, as terrible as it seemed. Killing her parents was another way out of the wedding contract, and midnight panty-raids were not the common occurrence for them. But that was ridiculous, thinking that way, wasn't it! Xelloss wouldn't order hit men to take out Kiki's parents. He had condemned the syndicate over and over. He wouldn't use them. No. No. No. But still, the coincidences were mounting up.

He stood by Xelloss in the mayor's mansion. "What?" Xelloss asked him. "You were about to ask me something?"

Zel thought about asking him directly, but then, what kind of friend would that make him? Xelloss wouldn't have included him in some illegal plot, not without telling him first. Would he? "No. Nothing." Zel shook his head and wondered where his life was heading. He was in a daze, only catching snippets of the conversations going on around him.

"Her Aunt and Uncle live above their business, Polly's Pies and Pastries," Xelloss informed Ryo.

"Take her upstairs, Amelia-dear. Kiki, you may stay in Gracia's empty room," the mayor said in his loud-enough-to wake-the-dead voice. "Ah, Mrs. Andrews, sorry we woke you up...Yes, some chamomile tea for the girls would be wonderful."

Zel was pressed to say a few words, but he knew he wasn't making sense and wisely shut up. When Phil addressed him, he attended, however, "It was fortunate your prank was timed so well, or we wouldn't have our dear Kiki with us tonight." Then to Zel's shock and consternation, the big man enclosed him in a bear hug the likes of which nearly compressed Zel to cornflake thinness, and wept profusely over his shoulder. There was nothing he could do but wait him out.

He felt Xelloss pry them apart. He was speaking to Dee and Ryo, "We'll be going, then. The band has no gigs for a week or so, but we have rehearsals that might take us as far as Mosquita. Other than that, McGywn has all our numbers. We're easy to locate."

Eventually, Zel was back in his car, Xelloss at the wheel, and they were wheeling down the hill, past the fancy houses, past the best neighborhoods, out to the edge just this side of the wrong side of the tracks– home.

"Huh?" Zel shook his head. He must have fallen asleep.

"I can't sleep after all this, how about you? Wanna soak some in the hot tub?"

Zel nodded, semi-alert. "Sure."

He eased himself into the water with a sigh, and then opened his eyes to find Xelloss staring at him. "What?"

Xelloss was mindful of Zelgadiss' sidelong glances and odd behavior. He was rather perceptive and no dullard. He suspected a couple problems which could be troubling his friend and decided to settle them now and not let him sleep on them. Zel sleeping on a problem was sure to drive him into his shell.

"Want to tell me what's on your mind, or shall I just guess," Xelloss began.

"What do you mean? Nothing, lots...nothing to talk about."

"Oh, really? Why were you suddenly a self-conscious when we started getting undressed, for starters? Think I'm going to attack you? No? Well, that's good. I realize how difficult a thing that was for you to do today. Yeah, I do," Xelloss reassured him.

Zel shook his head and looked away. "It's not that. Well, all right, a bit of that. That was really embarrassing for me, Xelloss. I want to pretend it was nothing, but it took all my nerve, and then some..."

"A Luna threat?"

"Yeah, that pushed me over. Even so, I was wavering, until I looked at Amelia, of all people. One of her 'do the right thing for justice' speeches came to mind and then she looked at me. You know, for the first time, they made sense to me. So, I felt I owed her a warning, then just...went for it."

Xelloss smiled, "Of course, you didn't tell her that."

"No, there hasn't been a moment and now...with this awful shooting thing. The time is past."

"There will be other times. Tell her, Zelgadiss; it will be a turning point for you. But...I want you to look me straight in the eye and say nothing's changed. You can't do it, can you? And I know it's not about the kiss or the birthmark, which I made up of course, or any of that. You're not self-conscious suddenly around me, you are...feeling guilty. You're not sure you trust me."

Xelloss waited, until he was sure Zel wasn't going to admit his deep-seated fear. "I didn't do it. It was just a coincidence, Zelgadiss. That's all. Hey, it certainly occurred to me that knocking them off would solve all my problems; I'll grant you that! But had it been my plan, I would have had them offed way before my supposed wedding night. Think about it! I had no, absolutely no, 'N. O.', inkling that you were going to pull a stunt like that and stop the wedding. And... So, I couldn't have pre-planned the ice cream raid that may have saved her life. I fully expected to be married and on my honeymoon. Killing them after the fact wouldn't have altered the contract one iota. Zelgadiss, look at me. I didn't do it."

Zel sighed. Of course, he couldn't have, but he knew that. When he looked over and saw the yearning in his friend's eyes-- 'Please believe in me!', they said. "Your right, you couldn't have...wouldn't have done something so terrible, so desperate. I just...I felt guilty even considering the possibility. I'm sorry."

Xelloss smiled and sank neck deep into the bubbling, hot water, closing his eyes and relaxing at last. "You...are forgiven."

Zel was afraid to close his eyes. He might drop off to sleep and drown. Instead, he leaned his head back and looked up through the mist rising of the tub. "Thanks."

"So..."

"So...?" Zel wondered.

"So, how was that kiss you laid on Amelia? Learn anything from the skilled expert?" Xelloss peaked out from under his bangs to catch Zel's perturbed expression.

"Learn? From whom? You? You think I learned some move from you? Don't flatter yourself!"

Xelloss was laughing, until he managed to snort water up his nose.

"Serves you right, asshole," Zel grumbled. "Hey, let's shut this down and go in before you hurt yourself."

"Okay. It has been a long day, hasn't it?"

"Far too long and far too eventful." Zel stopped just inside the door and shut off the outside lights. "Xelloss, so who did kill them, and why?"

"My guess? The person who set up that contract. Her parents broke it and I don't think that was okay, so they paid the price for failure."

"But who?"

"I wish I knew. Zelgadiss, they are getting closer each time to getting someone dear to us. We can't protect them all, all the time. I hope we have the luxury of time while preparing for the musical. I hope we have the chance to execute our plan. It's getting more and more complicated, what with the clan infiltrator, Grauscherra, Auntie Dolphin...maybe more. I can't figure out how they interrelate! I can't see all the cards and..."

"Xelloss! Calm down. Get a grip. No one expects you to know it all. It's late and you are way overdue for a good night's rest. Believe me, it will all come together eventually, and we'll all be there to see it, too. Yeah, well, sleep on that and call me in the morning," Zel ended with his customary smirk.

"Yes, Dr. Zelgadiss, I will," Xelloss smiled in return.

Then they departed to their own rooms. But Zel was troubled. He had never seen Xelloss so unsure of his grasp of details. It was no time for him to start coming apart at the seams. Zel hoped the syndicate would just lay off a little while longer...

The next morning, Val drove by the Gabriev's to pickup Gourry. They'd made arrangements to use the company paint room, which was ordinarily empty on Sunday, by phone the night before.

"Yo."

"Hey, Val, do you wanna get paint, too? The only stuff there will be basic appliance whites and beiges."

"I stopped on the way into town from the settlement. It's in the back. All the colors in the rainbow," he grinned.

Val found the huge industrial hanger and drove right up to the main doors.

"Keep it running," Gourry told him as he jumped out of the Suburban with the keys. "You can drive it right on in."

Val parked his car then followed Gourry to check out the equipment.

There's tape and paper for the windows and trim, power sprayer, detailer, 'bout everything you could want, if ya know how to use 'em," Gourry smiled, "which I do. Val, you sure 'bout this? Yer car's nearly new. Paint's good."

"Shit, yeah. Look at it! It looks like it's fer a rich middle-aged dude ta take his buddies out huntin' once a year. I want it to look more... me."

Gourry understood. "Okay, it's yer car. So, first we mask off what yer don't want paint to get on. Then we cut out shapes for the..."

"I don't need no shapes. Mask's okay, though."

By lunchtime, the first coats were done. Flames were leaping from the nose of the car up the hood, around the sides, and even licking at the top. Where there weren't brilliant red/orange/yellow flames, there was silvery-sparkle smoke. Val was pleased with his car's transformation.

Gourry looked over a few tough spots and satisfied with the job so far suggested, "Let's go get somethin' to eat while it sets up, then we can top-seal it a couple times."

Gourry's mother had packed them a basket of food and drink, enough for five kids. The two friends divided the contents evenly and dove in hungrily.

"Sure gonna be hard to find someone to replace yer mom," Val commented.

Gourry gave him a quizzical look, "Why would I wanna do that?"

"When you get married. I meant, you'll have to find a chick that can cook like this or you'll starve. Dude, here take part of mine. I can't believe how fast ya eat."

"I'm learnin' ta cook, just in case."

Val thought that through. "Oh, yeah, if yer still con-si-derin' Lina, you'd better learn real good. She ain't much interested in the kitchen, 'cept ta eat."

"Hmm," Gourry agreed, mouth filled. His cell phone buzzed and he tossed it to Val to answer.

"Yo. No, it's Val. Want me to get him? Okay...What? No, yer kiddin' me. Uh, that's ... awful. Hold on... Gourry, Kiki's parents were murdered last night, but she's okay. Here!"

Gourry caught the phone and listened to his mother's recitation. "Zel and Xelloss were with her and Amelia? Pretty late. Yeah, lucky...That's terrible. I'm glad she's got Amelia now. Ah, we got more to do here, then it's gotta dry... 'Kay. Thanks, bye."

"Mom'll come get us when we're done. Yer car'll need to dry here overnight where's there's no dust. I don't know...it's hard to think now. Kiki...there's another one whose life's been messed up by..." He looked up and caught Val's eyes. If he was going to blame Xelloss, he changed his mind. "...that syndicate bunch."

Val muttered, "We'll get them all, Gourry."

"Yeah, before they get us."

* * *

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 42.


	43. With Baited Breath

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 43 **

**With Baited Breath**

_"_Every dog is entitled to one bite." --Anonymous

* * *

Xelloss felt bad to have to do it, but Milgasia and Val agreed that if Mrs. Saunders was willing to cooperate with them, they should use her. So, Val met Jillas on the sly and turned over to him a carefully prepared folder of material which he in turn was instructed to feed to his 'secret' clan spy. However, in the past when Jillas delivered information to his contact, the process was carefully layered and planned so as not to expose the spy's identity, and so, Jillas never learned who the contact was. Of course, he hardly cared as long as the payment was never short.

Val, Xelloss, and Milgasia, with their little trap set and baited, now had to wait patiently to find out who they snagged.

Sherra was annoyed. She was frustrated by Daniel Grauscherra's total disinterest _in_ and inability _to_ either plan _or_ execute any attack on the clan _or_ shrine _or_ the government of Seyruun. She wasn't particularly proud of her own achievements, personally giving her own operatives mixed reviews. Dilgear was dead-- deservedly. After the embarrassment he'd caused her when he'd blown his cover and allowed himself to be set up by the Slayers kids, she had been brought to task. That had been dreadful. The shame, the shame... Her punishment was to lose her trusted minion–-a loss of power, certainly. It had taken time and money to train Dilgear, even as deficient as he had been.

Now, all she had left was Vurumagen and a man on loan to her called Zazan. Vurumagen was pretty worthless. His training had never taken place. He wasn't even a syndicate employee! As far as she could tell, he was loyal only to Professor Rezo, but would do a job or two for her when he needed money. He'd detected an information leak from e-mail transfers and fixed it-- that had been useful, Sherra thought. But his photography work had been unprofitable, as far as she could tell. Xelloss had not become a basket-case over the series of pictures, as she'd been promised. Xelloss had proven to be a tough nut to crack. His training must have been superb, she surmised. Too bad Xelloss was an independent. What she couldn't do with a young man like him, as an underling, naturally, or...!

Which brought her back to Daniel, her lover and employer; perhaps it was time to expand her love-life. Xelloss appeared adept enough. He was certainly appealing... Sherra shuffled through the candid snapshots, pausing at the last one. She wondered who the lucky girl was sharing his bed. "Hmmm," she murmured to herself as she punched in the office number on her desk phone. "Yes, would you look up a certain young man's home phone number for me please? He just graduated, I think... Xelloss Metallium. Yes, thank you."

The door to the inner office opened and the principal stepped in. "Dear, have you seen that folder on the new budget cuts?" Grauscherra asked.

He walked around his desk and came to rest by her side, interrupting her call. "I want to review those numbers once again. You know, if those kids bring in the revenue I think they can from their musical, we ought to wipe out all the damage from those cuts plus have a tidy sum to roll over for next year. I'd like to present this to the teacher's at our meeting today."

Sherra nodded as she jotted down the phone number, hung up the phone, and then with apparent disregard for the note, moved off to the filing cabinet. "That's good news, Daniel. I've got those numbers here." She smiled. The man was a pathetic syndicate leader, but he made a damned good principal.

With a quick, curious glance down at the neglected memo, the man made a mental note of the number then remarked, "Ah, wonderful! What would I do without you? I looked everywhere for that file!" He gave her arm an affectionate squeeze then hustled off to his desk, eyes sparkling with excitement.

Sherra shook her head and sighed. She wondered if he could survive without her. Well, it was time to get in touch with that Zazan character and put him to work. It had been very thoughtful of her dear Daniel to loan him to her after Dilgear's death. She thought it was particularly endearing the way he tried to deny doing it, going so far as to profess a complete memory lapse concerning Zazan's existence. Daniel Grauscherra was a dear, but such a moron...

Sherra was determined to put a stop to that dangerous Slayers musical, which, from the intelligence she could gather, was going to expose some sensitive information. Not a job for that stooge, Vurumagen, certainly. Then again, maybe Xelloss could stop it, as a favor to her. A big favor.

Meanwhile, March erupted into March Musical Madness. Everyday a new problem cropped up. Zelgadiss met with Bobby and a few select band members to test his lighting sequencer and practice adjusting the timing manually to match with the music. Nothing ever worked like clockwork in a play, Zel knew from experience, thus he suspected that a musical would be even more chaotic-- especially this one. For every single thing that operated as planned, two others malfunctioned automatically.

"The only thing I can count on is my programming," Zel muttered, neglecting to note that with the use of computers, he made the complicated mess compound just that much faster.

But that was only a part of the mess. There were so many actors to dress, practice, and touch bases with that it became a full-time job, night and day for Lina. She tired of it after a short while, and moved her creative energies on to more interesting problems. Usually, when Lina was hell-bent on a particular path to destruction, Zel or Gourry, or even miraculously Xelloss, was there to direct her back onto the high road–- like when she insisted that they all be equipped on stage with harnesses for rope -and-pulley 'flying' acrobatics.

Zel nodded thoughtfully, "I, and possibly you, Lina, could manage the flying maneuvers, but Amelia would surely collide into a set, bringing it down."

Amelia was not present at the time or he wouldn't have gotten away with that reference to her occasional teenage clumsiness. As it was, Xelloss couldn't help himself and said in a falsetto voice, ending with a smirk, "That was soo unjust, Mis-ter Zel-ga-diss!"

Lina dismissed Zel with a snort and Xelloss with a smack on his back, and then started shouting directions to begin throwing ropes over the rafters.

It was time for Gourry put his size-14 foot down. "No flying, Lina. It makes me sick, being at heights like that just hangin' by a rope." He hadn't meant that to sound so harsh, but Xelloss' silliness had gotten to him again.

From the look on Lina's face, Gourry's complaint missed his mark, but before Lina had a chance to shoot back, Xelloss fired off a round of his own points. "As tantalizing and as dangerous as it sounds, Miss Lina...sir... I point out that Val has visible wings, which can't flap to imitate flying or which might become snared in the lines and break off, thus making for a costume design change that, Zelgadiss tells me, is not happening this late in the preparations. Not only that," he continued, "but he, or someone else, would risk looking ridiculous if he, or they, went into a dizzying spin during a serious fight scene."

"Okay..." she backed down with a shrug as the fight left her system. If both Xelloss and Gourry could be in agreement, why bother? She decided to steer clear of that accident waiting to happen, and continued on her merry way. It was all beginning to sound like too much effort, and besides, she had other ideas that were even better!

Indeed, not every disaster on the offing was evaded, especially when Lina was particularly set on it. For instance, one day she decided that they would not fake magic with imaginary illusions. What Lina wanted was fireworks. Zel, Xelloss, and Gourry were all busy with the others practicing a dance/fight routine and missed their cues to rein Lina in, in time.

"I want big explosions with lots of smoke and sparks, not smoke and mirrors!" she voiced to no one in particular.

Val heard her though and agreed enthusiastically. "Jillas," he assured her, "is the master of py-ro-tech-nics and can put together anythin' you ever dreamed of."

"Eh? I've got pretty vivid dreams. He around ta ask?" Lina asked.

"I'll gettem..."

A moment later, Jillas and Lina and Val were head-to-head marking up a script with blasts, blamos, and Kab-BLAMS! When Gourry found out, he was upset. It was too dangerous. A fire could start. Someone could get hurt. Lina agreed and put him on safety detail. The end. That taught him not to open his mouth again unless he had a ready solution at hand.

So, Lina could jump the rail once in a while, but the musical train was never fully derailed. It just kept rolling along...

Kiki was naturally woven into their every waking minute. Xelloss had settled the task of video taping the performance on her shoulders, provided her a fat budget to purchase all the necessary equipment, and found her a talented 'Flying Fig' assistant. If he had felt responsible for Hokuto's death before, he was now totally consumed by a guilty conscience over the murder of Kiki's parents. His solution was to simply shoulder an additional obligation: to ensure Kiki's future happiness. First of all, he had arranged and paid for the funeral. Next, he personally moved all Kiki's possessions out of the house he had built for her and over to the mayor's mansion. Well, he didn't actually carry the boxes, but he hired people to do it. What was important was that Kiki didn't have to do a thing. Then, he just 'plumb did take it upon himself' to ensure her personal safety from that moment on. He couldn't have done more if he'd actually married the girl.

As it turned out, although she visited her aunt and uncle every week, she never lived with them above their shop. She became a ward of mayor Phil, Amelia's adopted sister and lived there until ...well that would be giving away the ending. Since Kiki couldn't bear returning to the house where her parents had been murdered, she insisted that Xelloss retain the property and sell it or rent it out. She would never step past those doors again.

A few weeks after the funeral, when the band was immersed in their musical preparations, Xelloss received an interesting call pertaining to said property.

"Hello? Detective Ryo? Oh? What have I done now?" Xelloss asked lightly one morning at breakfast.

Zel and Val froze mid bite and listened intently.

"Oh, nothing!" the kind detective replied on the other end of the line. "I was just wondering what was to become of that house, the young girl's home whose parents were murdered. I understood your brother to say it had once been yours?"

Xelloss explained that after rebuilding it, he gave it to Kiki's family, but that now it was his to get rid of again.

"I see," Ryo's said. "Would you consider selling it to Dee and myself? We've been renting an apartment here in Seyruun ever since we were re-assigned, but with both kids, it's feeling small."

"Both?"

"Carol is staying with us now as well. We could use another bedroom–quick!" Ryo laughed. "And the Gabriev family is so close, with their kids who are friends and the park, and the schools..."

"It's a great neighborhood," Xelloss agreed. "The corner strip mall has it all for your eating-out needs and only a pleasant stroll away!"

"Sold! So," Ryo became more cautious. "Does this mean the house is available?"

"Consider it yours," Xelloss said with a smile. "A wedding present!"

Ryo sputtered several things one of which was, "H-How did you find out?"

"Dee told me that you had gone and made it official in Sairaag before coming here. And yes, I meant that. I have a terrific lawyer who'll write up a deed properly. I'll call you and we can all meet and I'll give you the keys and you can sign the papers to make it all legal."

"B-but...it's so expensive! You must let us pay you something, we don't earn much on these stingy detective salaries, but I didn't call to ask you to give it away!"

"I know; that's what makes it so fun! It's giving away syndicate ill-gotten gains; it makes me feel all pure or something to do this. Besides, my step father, Lina and Gourry, Mrs. Shearer, Kiki's aunt and uncle and lots of other friends of mine live in that neighborhood. They could use a couple of big, strong detectives nearby to look out for them, right?"

Ryo knew when he had lost, stubborn a man as he was. He had discovered, in speaking with McGywn earlier, that Xelloss had come into a substantial inheritance, but he had no idea just how well-heeled the young man was. He knew, however, that he was known to be generous with his closest friends, and he smiled to think that he was one of them now. "I don't know what to say. The kids will be thrilled, but Dee...he's a proud man who isn't one to accept charity."

"Okay, then tell him you stopped me from blowing it up and in return you have to move in and guard it. He'll believe that. I know he thinks I'll crazy. You're laughing, aren't you? I'm right, eh? I thought so. So, when we meet I'll play the psychotic. You do service to me by taking the haunted property off my crazy hands."

In the end, Ryo agreed. In a matter of weeks, the papers were signed and the moving van delivered the new family to its home. Hopefully, the house would become a happy home at last.

One weekend, all the actors traveled to Mosquita to practice on the big stage there. It was the first time John and Miwan, who had taken to one another and to Xelloss' generous home/work offer quite well, would join the Slayers. John was very excited about playing his part, Xelloss' evil father– especially the short purple wig. Miwan, as the terrible young Hell Master boy, had only to change his clothes to fill the role.

During a break, Lina discovered the backstage costumes and, for an hour or so, all the kids played dress up. The Slayers girls all loved the runaway Miwan, as it turned out. He was just 'too cute' and they loved to dress him up. Miwan was so slim and short that he could wear girls' costumes as well as some of the adorable animal ones. John lost him to the squealing attention of Sylphiel, Kiki and Amelia one morning and didn't see him again until it was time for lunch.

"Uh, hey, Xelloss!" John called out.

"Xelloss just ran out...or up into the rafter scaffolding to see if there's room for more speakers. The sound system is archaic," Zel explained. "So, anything I can help you with?"

"Maybe... it's not important. I was just looking for Miwan. I hadn't seen him around."

Zelgadiss pointed to a dressing room. "He's in need of rescuing. He doesn't know how to tell the girls 'no' and I think he's locked himself in one of the rooms to avoid them."

John chuckled, "Thanks, man. We haven't known each other long, but I've learned he's not very assertive around girls."

"Zel! Get yer ass back over here!" Lina yelled above the din.

"Who **_is_**?" Zel muttered to John, pivoted, and trotted over to see what was troubling Lina-darling. His sensitive ears could make out John's muffled chuckles.

"Get Xelloss down here. I want you and him in these outfits pronto!" Lina ordered.

"He's on a mission," Zel replied curtly. He _would_ assert his manhood.

"From the _gods?_" Lina growled.

"Nearly... No, from Bobby and me. We're looking to upgrade the sound system."_ I am not your devoted slave. I have willpower of my own._

The two stood nose-to-nose; alas... fiery hot rapidly melted away at the icy cool.

Moments later, "I'll go see how he's doing." Zel paused, then added-- defeated this time around-- "Put the costumes in a room." _Why fight it?_

Not long afterwards, Gourry, Val, Zel, and Xelloss donned Lina's specially chosen mail and armor, leftovers gleaned from a medieval play, and lined up for a photograph. They were really cool-looking and it was some time before the boys could be persuaded to take them off.

Gourry, "Hey, ya know we're the Four Horsemen!"

"Huh?" Val paused mid-stride.

Grinning, Gourry replied, "'Cause we horsed around all the time. Yah hooo!"

The tall blonde young man then proceeded to lead the quartet in noisy roaring attacks on Zangalus. Or Zolf. Or Rodimus. Very silly stuff.

Lina waved them off. Once she'd taken their picture, she was done with them. She wanted them to play off someplace away from her. "Don't bug me and stay out of my way for a few minutes." It worked. They tore off after the other girls, eliciting shrieks and screams. Lina slunk off into the costume storage and used the opportunity to rifle through the fine costumes alone. _Dresses, dresses, dresses...whoa! What was this? _With her eyes aglow, Lina swept her find off its hanger and..._oh__...yes!_ She nabbed the other part off the shelf and ran off to check the fit. _Perfecto!_ She was so enamored of the blazing red pirate coat with its tacky brass trim and its matching, outrageous, white-ostrich-feather plumed hat, that Xelloss ended up paying tenfold what it was worth to get the management to allow her to wear it home.

"Well, wouldya look at this one," Lina said to Xelloss.

He looked over her shoulder as she pulled out a fantastically ornate and colorful jester costume. "My, my..."

"Hats are on the shelf above. There, it's got slippers, too!"

Zel had wandered over. "All right. They've spliced in those larger amps and speakers and now I want to test out the microphone pickups. What I need is for you to sing, talk, whatever, and move all over the stage for about five minutes, while I test the levels. Give me a minute or two to get up to the sound booth."

Xelloss saluted him, and then turned to Lina. "I think I'll change into this and sing an appropriate song."

Lina was about to tell him not to bother, that she hadn't meant that he had to put it on, but he had already run off, costume in hand. It was the first time in many weeks that the two had spoken in private, even briefly, and to her, Xelloss seemed diffident, not totally unapproachable, but distant–-out there. Was he just giving her more personal space or had his ardor cooled? Not that she really cared, she was just curious...

"Xelloss, you ready...? What's that godsawful outfit you're wearing?" Zel gasped into the microphone, sending his voice echoing throughout the hall.

"I...am a clown," he bowed. "Which is coincidentally the name of the song that I am about to sing, when you are ready."

Bobby found Sara from his band and told her to practice with the spot lighting and try and follow Xelloss on the stage. "I can do better than that!" she grinned.

Down below on the stage, Xelloss found a spot marked with tape on the floor below a microphone and waited patiently for Zel's signal. The lights dimmed, and he squinted as an alternating series of colored lights flashed overhead.

"Just testing!" Sara called out. She settled on blue with a yellow spot just about the time Zel shouted, "Ready anytime!"

Xelloss searched for and found Lina. "I have another David Cassidy song to sing. Hope you like it."

He posed, and then began an introduction in a sing-song voice, rather than actually singing, while mimicking a marionette:

"See the puppet on a string

Wind him up and he will sing

Give him candy...he will dance

But be certain not to feel

If his funny face is real..."

Zelgadiss stared hard at Xelloss and then at Lina, looking for a clue as to what was going on.

"...But be certain not to stray

He will steal your heart away"

Then Xelloss mimed the act of putting on a serious face. Lina watched mesmerized. Gourry folded his arms over his chest and scowled as Xelloss began to sing:

"I am a clown, I am a clown

You'll always see me smile

You'll never see me frown

Sometimes my scenes are good

Sometimes they're bad

Not funny ha-ha, funny sad..."

Lina was entranced, listening, her attention riveted on Xelloss. She understood his meaning and was being respectful.

"Always the laughing face

Whenever you're around

Always the same routine

I never change

Not funny ho-ho, funny strange

Sometimes I think the world is a circus town

Sometimes I feel I belong in a side show..."

...Zelgadiss was about to stop the act before trouble started, but then he too seemed caught up in the unreality of the situation, and did nothing.

"...He knows what I know...

If you look inside

If I didn't hide,

You might decide

You don't want me..."

Zelgadiss was concerned. This was not subtle at all. Xelloss was singing to Lina and everyone had to no that it was directed at her, for her benefit. But what was he to do if his friend wanted to expose his raw feelings to the world?

"...I want to live again

I want to feel

Tell me you love me, make me real"

His eyes locked onto Lina's as he closed out the song with,

"Tell me you love me...

Make me real..."

_Oh! _

"Okay everybody, back to work!" Lina yelled loudly to cover up her blushing cheeks. "They've only given us this day, and then others use it for the next two weeks!" _Jeez... How embarrassing! Of course, that does settle my doubts concerning his feelings..._

It settled Gourry's horses as well, sending his good mood into the sunset.

What Lina had thought were the beginnings of hunger pains, instead, turned out to be her monthly cramps. _Not now_... Lina wrapped her arms around her middle and stalked off in search of a ladies' bathroom.

On her return, it was 'noses to the grindstone'; the Slayers and friends walked through the entire script:

1) Marking prop changes... "Gourry needs his sword for this part, Zel too, but Xelloss and Amelia and me don't, got that? Yeah, I carry a long dagger thing or I look shorter than I am. Put that down– buy dagger.

2) Making set movements possible... "That boulder's gotta have rollers or I'm not gonna be able to blast my way into that cave."

3) And noting the lighting or sound level adjustments... "I want the spot on me, not the little twerp. And you'd better get a microphone up on there where Val's gonna be howlin' or he's not gonna be heard."

Well, it was Lina's show, after all.

Well, mostly...

Zelgadiss strode up to her. "I know this is important to you. Amelia's already filled out two notebooks worth of changes, but you are being too demanding."

Lina narrowed her eyes. "You have no idea..." Deciding not to share her ills with him Lina asked instead, "I need some aspirins. You got some?"

"I already gave mine to Xelloss."

"Great," she growled and stomped off in search of another supplier.

"Try Martina. She's likely to have something stronger than the shrine potions or clan tisanes," Zel called after her.

Lina had already considered that problem herself. "Hey, Martina!" she called. "I'm dyin'. You have any pain killers?"

Martina stuck up her nose. The Lina Inverse needed her. "Why don't you ask Sylphiel or Filia? Haven't they studied healing as priestesses? Either that or go buy some yourself at the market."

"I don't want any tea or balms," Lina grabbed Martina's arm, "You know where a market is? I need aspirin in mega doses."

Martina nodded, supremely pleased to know more than Lina about something. "It just so happens that I do. It's not too far from here so we can walk. I can use a drink."

Something with a great deal of energy behind it rushed by Lina's head and struck a tree limb overhead with a dull thud. "Hey! Are you throwing rocks at me?" Lina cried out.

"What? No, but if I was, I wouldn't have missed," Martina said defensively. "I have good aim, which you must recall after my excellent tennis game where I beat you..."

"Shut up!" Lina yelled as another object zipped over her head, followed quickly by another. "What I recall is the sound of gunfire..."

A barrage of bullets fired from overhead plugged into the road by Martina's feet. "Ah!" she screamed and danced around in a panic.

"Get off the road!" Lina yelled, giving the other girl a hard shove. "You wanna get killed!"

"My belief in Zomalgustar will protect me!" Martina asserted. She straightened up and pulled out a huge pendant on a chain. "You're not the only one to wear a symbol of power next to your heart!"

"Huh? Who?" Lina asked from her hiding spot in the bushes. "Zomalgustar's a restaurant, you idiot! And that's a drink coaster you're wearing on a string, not some kind of protection amulet. And this," Lina patted the ring of Zelas, which hung from a chain around her neck and lay hidden beneath her shirt, "Won't stop a bullet."

As if to prove her correct, another round of shots went off around them. Martina screamed again, this time running to the side of the road and falling into the ditch. Partially hidden by the thicket of roadside weeds and brush she scooted to Lina's side. "That's not what I heard. I was told that Xelloss gave you a pendant for protection. It came from the Cavern."

"What brand of lunacy do you go in for?" Lina shook her head in disbelief. "The Cavern is a dance club, and although it's a source of a multitude of drugs and infectious diseases, it's not one for defensive jewelry."

Ignoring the world around them for a few more minutes, the two girls continued to bicker. "Well, what is that thing then?" Martina insisted.

"It's...a secret. (_Okay, so it came in handy to say_) Who told you about it anyway?"

"IT? What ...IT? I thought IT was a seeee-cret?"

"IT is not a secret, stupid, not if YOU know about it. What it IS ...is the secret. Now tell me WHO told you about IT before I strangle you."

"Always resorting to violence to get your wa-ay," Martina taunted. "Gah-ach..."

"I wasn't kidding, was I?" Lina sneered. "Now tell me...who?"

Martina broke down and divulged that Zangalus has passed on to her what he'd been told by Vurumagen.

"Vurumagen, huh? His name keeps coming up. I met him last summer out at the Ancient's caverns... Wait! Caverns! That's what you said-- my necklace came from the caverns... How did that guy know about it, though..."

Lina hadn't much time to dwell on that point as their attacker stepped into view. She ducked, hopefully in time. Zazan was a big older fellow, manly and pale. "You can't hide for long," his eyes shifted back and forth over their clump of bushes. "Little girls like you shouldn't be out walking alone in the forest."

They could hear a cell phone ringing and for an instant Lina was thankful that she had taken Zel's advice and shut hers off in her shoulder bag– it would 'rumble' when a call came through. This one wasn't hers; it had sounded far-off. It must have belonged to the mystery man, because after the jangling stopped they could hear him muttering in a low voice and then he shouted, "Don't worry I'll catch up with you girls later. This road only goes to a few places." He fired off another round into the trees and strode off back the way he had come.

"You always have the most disgusting men after you!" Martina snipped.

Lina retorted with something nasty and they crept out of their bushes. Watching over their shoulders for the man to reappear, the two girls were cautious the rest of the way. When they reached the small general store, Lina found her aspirins- extra relief- and bought a soda. Outside, the two girls found a bench to rest and recover from their shock. Since there were one or two other folks ambling about, they felt relatively safe. But not too safe.

"What if he comes back for us? We're sitting ducks here!" Martina hissed.

Lina agreed. She pulled out her cell phone and punched in a number.

"It's me. Yeah. Listen, I'm at a market with Martina. Yeah, I know, will oddness never cease...? Anyway, Zangy will know where it is, he and her stopped here together. My point is...some bad dude shot at us on the way. No, he missed, idiot, but he said he'd come after us. He knows where we are and ... How the hell would I know! He didn't pull out his syndicate ID and wave it in my face, Xelloss! Okay, shoot..." She listened to his advice then hung up. "Gotcha, bye."

"Reinforcement's on the way," Lina said with a sigh.

"_Xelloss_? You call _him_ reinforcement? How about the _police_?"

Lina ignored Martina and stood. "Is that a shop over there...that shack? We need to get out of sight." Lina took off without waiting for Martina's answer.

'Magic Shoppe,' read the dusty sign above the door. "This is better than I imagined," Lina muttered and opened the door. Before stepping inside, she paused a moment to withdraw the syndicate ring from under her shirt, and let it rest upon her chest in full view.

Martina, crabbing about their situation, had nearly missed Lina's departure. She turned just in time to catch Lina disappearing past the store's entry, and rushed to get inside, too. She hated being left behind.

"Helloooo!" Lina called out. Inside, the tiny shop was empty of people, but the walls were lined with shelves containing brownish powders and herb-filled jars. At the front counter were glass-lined cases displaying numerous joke and magic kits: as in the old fly-in-the-ice-cube, faux spilled drink, rubber pencil, and bottles of disappearing ink. Many of them looked fun to have, Lina thought, but nothing was too amazing or unusual.

Martina summed it up, "Dusty old jars and stupid pranks, what a dumb place!"

Lina shrugged her shoulders and peered over the counter, only to find a little girl with pink hair staring up at her. "Whoa! Hi, little girl. Is your mom around?"

Dancing out into the room, the child seemed happy for the company. "My name's Kira. And this is my playhouse when momma's gone."

"Oh, so this isn't really a store any more?"

"No, it's been closed forever, but people come in and out at night sometimes. I wanna make this into a table. Can you move it?"

Lina looked the gigantic cauldron over. "Come on, Martina. You've got nothing better ta do. Give me a hand with this. Where do you want it? Okay..."

With an effort, the two girls rolled and pushed the heavy pot into the center of the room. Kira, meanwhile, had dragged an old wooded pallet from outside to the doorway. "This goes on top, then a tablecloth," the child directed them.

Next, Kira made 'tea' from an assortment of herbs and water boiled on a small hotplate. Martina was convinced to run next door and buy a box of cookies. She covered the distance back and forth to the market in under a minute. In no time the three 'ladies' were seated on upturned boxes around their table, sipping at what turned out to be mint tea and nibbling vanilla cream-filled cookies. And, Lina felt better. It was as if the tea ceremony was a ritual which Lina underwent to cure herself of her headache; a return to childhood where the syndicate lurked only on the outermost boundaries of her mind. Nice; that is, until Martina suddenly jumped up screaming, "Gah! Ants!" She managed to bang into the rickety table and knock over the cauldron, spilling tea and cookies everywhere.

"Martina, you klutz!"

Zazan's deep voice shattered their tenuous happiness. "Come out little girlies. You think you can hide from me?"

Xelloss tucked his cell phone into his waistband, grabbed a small bag from his travel rucksack and slipped out of the play practice unnoticed. There were several small lanes in the area all linked to the main thoroughfare which wound through the valley forest into the foothills. The roads formed a network which linked the few homes and stores in the town to the primary tourist attractions. Xelloss easily found the correct one– there was only one road near their building- and ran like the wind the way Zangalus had described to him. He found the market and in a quick tour of the vicinity, determined that the girls weren't inside. As he wandered outside, he heard a car drive up and park. Out of habit, he disappeared into the shadows and watched as a large thug of a man sniffed around the market, then headed toward an outbuilding– hardly more than a ramshackle hut with a sign promising 'Magic Shoppe'.

Xelloss knew he'd find Lina in there. He tracked wide and unseen, and entered secretly through the back of the building. He could hear voices within. Lina... Martina...and a much younger girl. As he wondered who she might be, the child in question let out a 'yip!' and ran from the front of the shop through a beaded opening to the back room and into his arms with a 'thump', nearly knocking the wind out of him.

"Oof! This is a dangerous place for a kid. Let's get you out of here," he said as he carried the child out the way he'd entered. He really wanted to get back to Lina, and considered leaving the child to hide in the shadows of the trees alone as he fumbled with the contents of his small bag.

"I can do that," Kira said. "Pretty..."

He smiled and allowed the girl fasten the clasps on his wrist bands. "Thank you, miss..."

"Kira. Mister, you've got pretty hair." She gave a thick clump of purple silk locks a loving tug, then let go.

"Ha! Thanks, yours is a very nice color, too," he said quickly. "Shh..." He heard Lina and the thug's voices.

They were coming out too!

Xelloss urged little Kira to remain hidden in case things got violent, before he stepped into view. He took a split second to take in the situation, and then shouted, "I believe your health is in danger, mortal danger, if you don't take your dirty paws off these ladies immediately." His voice rang out clearly even at a distance as he adjusted the bands at his wrists-- which activated his talismans. The amplifiers were the very same the ones he had given to Lina a year ago.

Zazan had noticed Lina's syndicate symbol dangling from her neck and frowned. He had his orders and wasn't going to actually harm her, anyway, but Miss Sherra hadn't told him the girl was under other syndicate protection. He was in a sticky situation kidnapping her, and now this man wearing talismans of a syndicate leader showed up! Who was he? Xelloss' arrival was the last straw. Zazan was going to have to abandon his assignment and escape, while he was able.

But Xelloss didn't know that. He was without his staff, his favorite weapon. That meant that he would have to resort to hand to hand combat and the other man was armed. _Damn._ He cast around for an alternative and settled on a fallen branch. With a couple of lightening quick moves he kicked the stick off the ground and into his hand. He gained ground on Zazan, testing the weight and balance of his weapon, then with a shout dove at the man, shoving the butt end into his face. With a twist and show of strength, Xelloss brought the broken tree limb around and broke it across the thug's right hand, disarming him, possibly causing injuries in the process.

"Guff," the man choked out in pain. "Ugh..." He held the ruin of his arm, and bent to retrieve his dropped gun.

Lina kicked him in the side, sending him reeling to the side. "Take that, you ugly piece of filth!"

Martina opened her mouth to speak, but nearly bit her tongue instead when Zazan used her to boost himself to his feet, gun in hand. He fired off a warning shot, and then beat a retreat to a waiting car.

"He got away," Lina moaned. She shielded her eyes from the dust churned up by the receding car.

"That's too bad, and we didn't even learn his name," Xelloss said in mock disappointment.

"Zazan, I think," Martina said.

"Yeah, that little girl asked him his name when he came in and that's what he told her. I don't think he meant to do that either," Lina explained.

"Children can be so disarming," Xelloss agreed as the little girl in question came out of hiding to join them.

"Uh, huh," Lina's eyes fixated on Xelloss' flashy jewelry. "Now I want those talismans back! "

"Oh? May I remind you that you hadn't been making use of them since you wore them as protection from Halciform? And since they were a bit redundant for you, you had generously returned them to me with the thought to give them to Sylphiel."

"Oh yeah, so what are you doing with them now?"

"Ah, I simply hadn't found the opportunity. I had hoped to do that today during a break."

Martina her chance to get something important. "I'll buy 'em off you. Hundred bucks!"

"They're worth lots more than that. One fifty!" Lina shouted at Xelloss.

Lina and Martina continued to throw out counteroffers, while Xelloss and Kira looked on.

Realizing that Xelloss was uninterested in money, Lina finally broke down and promised to go out on a date with him in return for the priceless amplifiers. Xelloss, surprisingly, handed over his four talismans to Lina, but turned down the forced date. "I'll let you give these to Sylphiel, then. She needs them, temporarily anyway, more than you." He moved in closer, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders and massaging them gently. "As much as I would like to take you out someplace nice, I'll pass on this chance."

"W-what? You're turning down ta chance to go out with the most beautiful, talented girl in Seyruun?"

"Yes, you see...I want you to want...it... too," he whispered before releasing her.

Meanwhile, not one to be bested by Lina for long, Martina sauntered over to see what little Kira was trying to fish out of the cauldron, which had rolled over to the open door of the shack. "What's that in there? Here, move it. Let me get that out."

Indeed, Martina felt pleased to discover something in Kira's cauldron which possibly was worth more than Xelloss' gaudy bracelets- a set of Cd's with Syndicate emblems emblazoned on the covers, official documents belonging to a high level individual in the organization. Not that she knew what the pictures meant. She just knew that they looked important. "Hey! These look neat."

Xelloss and Lina looked up. What was Martina up to in there? They joined her as she waved her find like a fan in the air.

_Oh my... _

Xelloss took them roughly out of her hands. "These are my family's property. See how the patterns match– the CD covers and these talismans? Mine. Believe me, you couldn't make use of these anyway. They are most certainly encoded, probably infected with dozens of viruses that would mess up any computer you tried to open them on."

Of course, Martina disagreed, but he could not be swayed. Instead, he attempted to assuage her hurt feelings with a purchased treat at the market. He also bought Kira a soda and muffin as a thank you present before she ran off to find her playmates elsewhere. Food worked with most people, Xelloss had learned. There was nothing left to do after that, but to accompany the girls back to the Mosquita theatre, although Xelloss couldn't wait to see what had fallen into his hands. It helped to keep his mind off the fact that he'd given up the chance to take Lina out, no matter how it had come about.

There was an ever-increasing quantity of work ahead of them, and less time. Tasks quickly outnumbered task-doers, so Xelloss sucked in his pride and paid a visit to Daniel Grauscherra for suggestions. The man seemed genuinely pleased to see Xelloss, and happily agreed to extend his feelers and enlarge his network of busy-bees to help with the cause. The musical was, the principal reminded him, a school fund raiser. Oh, yes, it wasn't just Lina and Xelloss' project any longer, it was AN EVENT, and Mr. Grauscherra was there to help them. Xelloss smiled weakly and wondered if that was good news. His assistant, Miss Sherra, was absent at the time, which he found to be a relief. He'd received a disturbing phone call from her, asking him about his personal life, as in 'So sorry about your incomplete nuptials' and 'I'm sure you'll find someone new very soon', but skirting around questions leading to the topic of his progress on the musical.

He shivered at the thought of her involvement in his life. Sherra was like a combination of Eris and Zelas—attractive, ambitious, and deadly. His attention was drawn back to the principal's speech. The man had just declared that 'now was the time for the school to pitch in with its support.'

As a result, in the next few days refreshments were ordered and soda and popcorn machines rented with Bunny and her sailing team/band in charge of setting up and serving performance nights. Tickets were placed on sale at the school and several of the smaller businesses around Seyruun, thanks to Kagome and her tag-a-long friends. The principal had a whole tactical unit of 'placard plasters' posting posters in every shop window, bank office, restaurant and fast food establishment-- lead by Duo, Heero and their friends. No corner, announcement board, or any other flat surface would be without a 'Slayers the Musical' publicity embellishment. In the weeks to come, Filia's voice would be heard over the local airwaves inviting one and all to come to number one event of the season and learn about **_the best kept secret of the century_**.

Well, Xelloss thought, the man had a talent for getting some things done. It made him wonder if he had the aptitude to commit murder and mayhem as well...

The excitement was growing daily, as were the kids' nerves, as the two week spring break from school drew closer. There was plenty to do before the first dry run through with all the actors. Then, if that went well, the dress rehearsals would follow immediately, giving them a short break before the performance. And if things didn't go smoothly, then their break would vanish with their good humor.

Immediately following their last class (Japanese) on Friday, the Slayers and the Flying Figs were on the road to Mosquita. They had made a quick stop at the mayor's mansion to pick up Nahga and food the kids had dropped off. Nahga had had a very late night and wanted only to get in the back of the van and 'sleep it off.'

Zangalus and Martina were to follow in his car, having set out much later in the day. Martina did not want to arrive first. Better to be fashionably late.

Miwan and John had left the day before to stay at a lovely bed and breakfast they heard about and were extremely lucky to get on such short notice. The short road from Seyruun to Mosquita wound pleasantly through a heavily-forested cleft between two mountain ranges. It was spotted with inns, resorts, and tourist traps which would be busy even in an early spring with its promise of cold, drizzly weather. Their plan was to meet everyone at the theater building on Friday afternoon.

From the other direction, Jillas and Gravos were driving from their jobs on the coast, which was at the other end of the narrow valley. They planned to arrive late on that same day, but since their parts were small, they were in no hurry to get there in order to sit and twiddle their thumbs.

"So, did I tell you about coaching Nahga for her Zelas role the other day? She's gonna be great, Xelloss. She's got all her mannerisms down and the voice inflections..."

Xelloss smiled, casting a glance back at the said slumbering woman in the back of the van, "How's she's doing on the chain smoking and drinking?"

Lina punched him, "This is Nah-ga we're talking about, moron. She's a little tall for the part, but wait till you see her in a dress, heels, and blonde wig– scary actually. Oh, yeah, it gave me a dream! I was driving along and then she was there...Zelas...and she was the driving test person. She kept giving me all these confusing directions. Like I had to drive to that Wolfpack Island and I kept telling her that I didn't know the way but then I could see it. She said to gun it, but I said we'd sink. It was a car not a boat! Sure enough, she slammed the accelerator down, crushing my foot in the process, and the car went flying over the water. My foot was really throbbin' now and she was screamin' 'bout my steerin' and suddenly we were over land and she told me to parallel-park! I couldn't cuz my foot hurt. Then...I woke up. My foot was jammed between the bed and the headboard."

She paused to get her breath and Gourry asked from the seat behind her, "How'd that happen? Isn't your head supposed to be up there, not yer feet?"

"I move around,"

"Remind me not to share a bed with you," Xelloss muttered without thinking.

Lina turned bright red and started to sputter, "That's not gonna...I'm not..." Her eyes flickered over all the blank stares. She asked, "What, don't you understand? Should I start over again?"

Rodimus, the driver, protested, "It's just...Good gods, you talk a lot!"

"Yes, she does," Zel nodded. He felt safely out of Lina's reach with Gourry blocking the way.

"Yep," from Gourry.

"_Mais__ qui_," agreed Kiki with a huge sigh. She and Amelia were sharing a seat.

Lina, still beet-red, was about to object, when Amelia suggested that they park the van and take a walk. "We're halfway there. There's a nice picnic ground not far off and we can come back and have a snack after some exercise."

Good distraction!

Kiki offered to remain with Rodimus, Nahga, and the van. "You should stay too," Lina told Xelloss. "Someone ought to be awake in case...something happens." She looked off in the direction of Rodimus' slumbering form. "For a bodyguard, he sleeps a lot."

"I believe he's responsible for a great deal of the night duty. As you wish then, Lina, I'll stay."

That suited Amelia perfectly. She was content to be almost alone with Zelgadiss again. Lina and Gourry were walking ahead, leaving the two of them to converse privately. Amelia was about to begin a conversation with Zelgadiss, but stopped herself just in time.

A few weeks ago, Xelloss had taken her aside and had a talk with her about her pursuit of his best friend. "It's not going to work, not the way you're going about it," he had begun.

"No? I thought we were making some progress," Amelia had said defensively.

"Yes, but..." he smiled. "Let me give you some insight into the male psyche, okay? We are hard-wired to pursue prey. The excitement's in the chase."

Amelia frowned a bit. "I thought it was the, you know, sex part."

That brought a grin to his face, "That too! But, that's even better if it's the guy's conquest. What I'm getting at here, Amelia, is that you make it too easy for Zelgadiss. He needs to work at getting you."

"Well that's...humph!" She blew air up into her bangs in frustration. "Mr. Val told me that if I didn't make a move, we'd get no where. Zelgadiss would never do a thing!"

"And he was right, then. Now's different. For instance, he had a blast that night he 'kidnapped' you from your house in your pajamas. Had the night not ended so tragically, who knows what would have happened next, but I know from what he said to me that it was something he'd like to do again."

"He'd better not! Daddy would be so mad if he knew!"

"That's...a part of the thrill. It's an adventure for him, us all."

"You didn't act that way around Miss Lina."

"No, I sure didn't. I threw myself at her feet and she used me as a doormat. I was really new at all this then and didn't know better. I wanted...well, lets just say I wanted her so badly that I just thought telling her would be enough. It wasn't. Then I thought showing her would do it. It didn't."

"Are you still in love with her, even now?"

"Ah, yes, maybe, ah...things have changed, but this wasn't supposed to be about me and my love-life gone flat, this is about yours on the cusp of blossoming into something real. That's what you want, right?"

Blushing, Amelia turned her head away, "Yes."

"Okay, then step one, play hard to get. Make him go after you, now that he knows he can do it and that he has a fairly good chance of success. Step two, talk to other guys. Hey, even talking to me makes him jealous, did you know that? Yeah, he thinks I'm going to seduce you, I'm sure, although he's never said that."

"Really?" she giggled at that. "Why would he think that?"

"Because I do it a lot...not to you, but others and...he didn't like the way I messed with you at the dance club when he was with Kiki."

"You were pretty forward..." Her eyes lit up, "Is that why you did that? To get him jealous? Oh, how mean of you...but how sweet too."

Amelia had given him a big hug, just as Zelgadiss stepped into the practice room. She had pushed away the moment she'd heard his annoyed and astonished, "Hnn..."

Xelloss closed by saying, "Well, thanks Amelia. I needed the reassurance. Oh, Zelgadiss, hello!" As he straightened, he whispered in her ear, "Remember..."

Yes, she remembered Xelloss' advice. In fact she'd made a point of meeting Duo and Heero at another lunch table one day to discuss how to go about doing publicity for the musical. She chose a table positioned in Zelgadiss' direct line of vision and sat between them both. She and Duo were very much alike in what they found humorous and their joy of life. Heero, she thought, was too serious, much like Zelgadiss. It ended with plans to meet together one day after school, at a nearby coffee shop. Zelgadiss, she'd noted with pleasure, had watched the proceedings with a jaundiced eye...

So, now it was just the two of them, with Lina and Gourry disappearing around the bend. Amelia looked askance at Zelgadiss wondering if he would say anything to her. To her surprise, he did.

He cleared his throat. "Ahem, so are you and Duo working together on a project for history?"

She smiled. "No. Something else. Heero, too. You know, I think you and he could be good friends, even though he's younger."

"D-Duo!" he stuttered stunned completely at the absurdity of such a proposition.

"No, Heero. He's quiet, smart, a serious student. Quite a bit like you, even in his stature. He's Japanese, too, you know."

"Oh? I didn't know. Is he working on...whatever the thing is with you?"

"Yes, he's more reliable, I think, than Duo to get things done on time."

"I'm sure of that. That Duo guy's an idiot..." Zel grumbled.

"Oh, not when you get to know him. In fact, he's a little like Mr. Xelloss; kinda happy and funny."

"Funny's not the word I would use," Zel grumbled more.

"So, we'll be going out Monday night..." she began.

"You're going out...? With Duo and Heero ...both? I thought..."

But, what did he think? Did he expect Amelia to be going out with him exclusively? Were they even going out? When he gave it some thought, Zel realized that he and Amelia had been tagging along with Xelloss and Kiki for weeks now, especially ever since...her parents had been murdered. At first it had seemed that it was mostly for her, to keep Kiki's mind on other things. But lately, he wondered if it wasn't more just an excuse for him to be with Amelia without having to be alone with her.

That was it, wasn't it? He was afraid to be alone with her, in part at least. Xelloss was such a natural. He made the girls laugh, he'd squeeze them in a hug or mash them with a kiss as if it were just a part of his repertoire, which...it apparently was now. Zel knew if he tried such a thing, it would be taken seriously– it would be an earth-shattering event!

Not that he would. He wanted to, some. Amelia liked it. She was pretty affectionate herself and equally demonstrative. Maybe if he could be alone with her, he'd get up the nerve again. But, what if she wasn't all that interested in him any more? Her ardor seemed to have cooled lately, what with meeting Duo and...Heeeeeero. So, Zel guessed, Amelia wasn't really his girlfriend. It took something more to make that happen, but what? Should he ask her?

Oh yeah...you just do that nerd-boy! That would go so well..._'Oh, by the way, Amelia... am I your boyfriend?' _

_'Oh, no, Mr. Zelgadiss! That would mean you'd have to let everyone know how you felt and you mustn't go and spoil that 'cold-hearted guitar-playing rocker' image you've worked so hard to maintain!'_

Zel's stomach had begun to tighten as he stressed over his situation, when he heard cries and screams... Lots of them!

"Zelgadiss? What...what is it!" Amelia gasped. "Miss Lina...Mr. Gourry...?"

"Sounds like trouble. Amelia, stay right here. I'll run up ahead. There's no reason to risk yourself too. If I'm not back in five minutes," he said as he trotted away, "run back to the van and get the others!"

He was quickly out of sight. In less than five seconds, he reappeared, running full-tilt. "Run Amelia! Come on, back to the van!"

Without question, she did, as fast as her growing, shapely legs could carry her. Lina and Gourry caught up with them at the van.

"Open up the doors!" Lina ordered unnecessarily. "Now, step on it!"

Rodimus had the engine running the moment Zel and Amelia showed up. No one had to tell him to get out of the path of a thundering herd of crazed fanboys and girls.

"We...we...just walked into a bunch of teenagers in some kinda weekend camp. They took one look at us and someone yelled "Gourry!" and then they screamed "Slayers" and then they just screamed!"

"They were sayin' yer name too, Lina," Gourry said panting.

"Yeah, of course they were," Lina winked. "Then Zel showed up and all hell broke loose!"

"I do that to parties," Zel said with a smirk. "It's why I avoid people."

Lina smacked at him half-heartedly then sank back onto her seat. She and Gourry simply collapsed from exhaustion after out-running the crowd. Zel was breathing hard. He looked upon the two, and resolved to go off and die his own death. "Even if I do die, Rodimus is here...and Zolf is...somewhere. I will not die alone." As thoughts left his head out his mouth, they were replaced by a shoe to the head, thrown by Lina.

"We all agreed we'd go together! No going solo on us!"

Gourry leaned in as Zel rubbed at his tender head and whispered, "It's a lot less painful to just do what she says."

* * *

From the Authors:

Note: the parts of the song 'I am a Clown' were by David Cassidy.

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 43.


	44. Everything From Soup to Nuts

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 44 **

**Everything** **From**** Soup to Nuts******

_" __Never__ give advice in a crowd."—Arab proverb_

(From: Passion! Shall We Give Our lives for the Stage? Season 1, Episode 16, The Slayers)

* * *

Entanglement

Zangalus picked up his phone, "Yeah? Oh, hi. Have you read the script then? You like it? Well, you said you wanted a kinda lampoon of the Slayers so that's what I wrote. Kinda fun, yeah, but the money's more important. You got that? Sure, come over now. Dad's not home, but ya gotta hurry 'cause I havta be back in Mosquita soon. I know it's not much of a drive. Just hurry. Right, bye."

Not much more than half and hour later, Vurumagen was at his front door. Zangalus let him in immediately. "I got the rest of the copies, like you wanted."

"Thanks."

The two young men traded money for scripts with few words. Payment in hand, Zangalus relaxed. "You promised you wouldn't hurt them. So what are you planning to do with these?"

The shorter, mousy-haired man smiled faintly, "Some guys in the dorms are gonna do it as a joke in the Mosquita art competition. No biggy. Most everyone's gonna be seeing that musical and if they do, they might get this and thinks it's funny."

"No one should take this seriously. It's pretty farcical," Zangalus told him. His conscious was free. It wasn't meant to do anyone any harm, just make him a few bucks. He checked his watch. "I gotta go now," he said and escorted Vurumagen to the door. As Zangalus drove off, he put a CD into the player and thought no more of it.

Vurumagen, however, had his work cut out for him, before he in turn got paid...

* * *

Entrapment

"Hello? Whoa! Slow down. Stop yelling at me! Okay, I'm hanging up. You can call back when your sanity returns."

"Who was that?" Val asked.

"Your gir-iiiirlfriend," Xelloss sang. "Hopefully she'll get the number right next time and yell at you."

"You just bend her the wrong way."

"And which way is that? All I said was 'hello.' There it goes again. I'm not answering it. You do it."

Val stopped the phone from sliding off the table. "Yo. Nah, s'me. No, he ain't..."

Xelloss pointed to the bathroom door of the motel room.

Val went on, "He's in the bathroom."

Filia sniffed indignantly. She was drying her hair in the room she was sharing a few doors down. "Hiding. I just know the creep's in there hiding from me. Well, he'd better, if he knows what's good for him. If I could murder him this minute and not screw up the musical, I'd do it! Gods I hate him! HATE! HATE! HATE!"

"Hey, now! Hold on, Fil. What's the dude done to rile ya up so?" Val met Xelloss' eyes. "Oh, yeah? Yer cousins called? The twins?"

Xelloss smiled and lay back on his bed, hands behind his head. _Them..._

"They told ya what? Where'd they hear that?" All the amusement evaporated from his voice. "Their dad? Hold on." Val slammed his rough hand over the dainty little mouth piece and whispered to Xelloss, "Slate's the one, or in cahoots with the spy."

Xelloss shot up, "No! That makes no sense."

Val waved at him to be quiet. "Fil...babe, listen, don't blame Xelloss for this one, but don't pass whatcha heard on, understand? No, not a nasty secret, just a tricky one, one that involves Milgasia, so it's serious. Luna, too. That's right. Wanna talk to him...?"

Xelloss was shaking his head furiously, "No!"

But Val smirked and finished, "He's out now. Here, Xelly-poooooo."

Xelloss frowned at his friend and took the phone as if it were a soggy donut. "Yeah? I accept." He listened for a few minutes, and then sighed, "You wouldn't understand. They came on to me! Not possible... I said, 'NOT POSSIBLE' and it's none of your business why. I'm really not that dumb, Fil-li-a. I know how not to reproduce little Metalliums. Now, goodbye. I have other business to attend to."

He closed up his phone with a sharp 'bitch!' then a louder 'sorry.'

Val chuckled, "She's still pissed about you sleeping with her cousins?"

"Yes, although you'd think it was time she was over that, wouldn't you? Buuuuuut...they keep asking her when I'll be back and how to get I touch with me and..." Xelloss nearly added, 'it's as if she were jealous, or something,' but didn't. "She thinks it was bad form on my part. That I should have more self-control. And...blah, blah, blah...!"

"Don't blame ya, but then again, if their father's the spy dude..."

"Then they're all screwed," Xelloss shot back.

Val exploded in laughter at the unintentional joke, the noise of which sent Zelgadiss tearing into the room. He'd been napping on the balcony outside the sliding glass doors of their room. "Oh! I thought you guys were fighting or something," Zel grumbled.

Val shared the joke between snorts and gasps; however, Zel was unappreciative, having had his rest disturbed. "So what brought that up?" he asked.

Val told him about Filia's call. "The only way Slate could know Xelloss got Mrs. Saunders ar-res-ted was by those papers I leaked using Jillas. Which means..."

"Either he's our clan connection or in league with the spy," Xelloss finished. "He's not likely the one on that mountaintop outpost you and Filia visited."

"Maybe that was Gravos, but he ain't talkin'...yet," Val disclosed.

"I doubt it. Gravos wouldn't be that adept at syndicate coding. But then none of them are part of that organization," Zel noted. "We want the syndicate guy too."

"My guess is, when pressed by Luna, Slate will talk," Xelloss assured him. "I'd better make a few calls now, starting with Milgasia– it is the man's brother-in-law, after all. Then...Luna."

* * *

Enlistment

An ominous roar echoed through the van carrying Kiki and four of the Slayers. Unable to visit a restaurant in the area without being bothered by adoring fans, the Slayers had ordered takeout, divided into two vans, and headed out into a nearby, private campground. Zolf had left earlier, taking the other van to pick up the food first, then the remaining Slayers kids.

"I'm starving. We ordered a picnic, let's eat it," Lina demanded. "Hey, stop! I can smell it from here. Looks like Zolf's been here already and set it out over there."

Rodimus, driving their van strained to see. "Over on that table under the trees? You sure that's our stuff?"

"'Course it is!" Lina said with certainty. It looked like the pot of stew she had ordered for them to share. "There's probably more of the stuff sitting in a box somewhere. You can look for that while we eat, if you want."

Not wanting to miss out on a meal, Gourry was next out of the van. He made a beeline for the picnic table, grabbing a bowl and spoon for himself.

"Where's Zolf with the other van? Where's the box of food I ordered?" Zel asked.

Lina was too busy shoving soup in her maw to answer, so Zel walked around picnic area searching for signs of Zolf or his things. "Why would he have dropped off just that and not Filia, Val, and Sylphiel?" he wondered aloud.

Rodimus pulled out his cell phone, "I'll locate the other van and have 'em join us here." After he made the call, he found a comfortable bench to stretch out on and fell asleep.

"Mmmmm, smells terrific, Miss Lina. Did we get all this from the restaurant?" Amelia asked moments before diving into her own serving with relish.

Lina shrugged, "Guess so..."

Gourry stopped chewing long enough to say, "This is great, but whose food is it?"

"Ours!" Lina asserted. "Who else's would it be?"

"It was rather conveniently laid out for us," Xelloss noted. He chose not to eat food from an unidentified source, tempted as he was by the delicious smell permeating the air.

"Heaven never forsakes the just!" Amelia cried.

"But...so...it might not be our food?" Gourry asked.

"Eh...Don't sweat the details," Lina said airily, with a wave of her hand.

They were all traveling incognito, wearing ordinary clothes and hats to disguise their extraordinary appearances. They had already had enough attempts by their enemies to sabotage their musical; they certainly didn't want to draw attention to themselves now and get killed by either mobs of fans trying to 'just touch' them or syndicate slime trying to waste them.

It took Lina, Amelia, and Gourry a matter of minutes to clean out the entire pot of soup. Lina leaned back and smiled with pleasure. "Great. That was really good. Now I feel better."

Zel's head jerked up, "Someone's coming."

"Probably Zolf with the rest of our food," Lina said.

But it wasn't. The men who had actually cooked the soup walked in upon the desolation of it and the empty pot. Lina and her team of gluttons were caught. It turned out one of the men was the director of a traveling theater company called the Rossburg Players, which was likewise en route to Mosquita for the annual arts competition. The competition was held during spring recess for the Seyruun University (and all the Seyruun school districts as well), and took place at roughly the same time as the Slayers musical, only a different building.

He was accompanied by a bedraggled, care-worn young man, who settled quietly by a tree. "It's gone...all...gone...my soup..."

Embarrassed and regretful, the Slayers collectively promised retribution for their lost cooking in the form of a share of their own soon-to-be-delivered meal. It was accepted.

Mr. Rossburg dropped a heavy bundle of papers on the table and sighed when he checked the empty pot for the second time. "Ah..." His face was beet-red from the effort of his walk.

Gourry offered both men a can of soda. "Warm today, fer spring."

"Oh? Yes, yes...wonderful weather! Like summer! Eh? What's this? Ginger ale? Oh, ho... haven't tasted this in many years. Thank you young man."

Rossburg untied his gypsy-like green scarf and wiped off his face before finishing the drink in ten gulps. "Ah..." he sighed with satisfaction while replacing the scarf upon his head. He stared hard at the kids looking them all over, as they were looking aghast at him, but he didn't seem to recognize any of the popular Slayers kids. "This is quite fortunate, actually, my finding you all. You see," he patted the stack of papers affectionately, "...you can call me Mr. Rossburg, by the way... I am in desperate need of actors."

Then to their disbelief, he began handing out what turned out to be copies of scripts to three of them, saying, "Be ready for rehearsal in an hour!"

Lina hadn't even looked at hers, but remarked aloud to the youth by the tree, "He is either nuts for the theater or just plain nuts."

"Both, that's why he needs actors– they keep running away! Ah, thanks for the soda."

"We have our own performance to concentrate on," Zelgadiss pointed out, but it fell on deaf ears.

Despite the warnings about the rate at which actors were leaving the company, Lina, Gourry, and Amelia seemed ready to join the company. "It's on the way to our own theater," Lina told the others airily.

"You can't be serious!" Zel gasped.

"You gonna come along?" Gourry asked.

"Absolutely not." Zel was definite. "You're not going, too?"

"We ate their food, after all! Besides, it's a great opportunity! Maybe we'll win the contest and draw attention to our musical!" Amelia said cheerfully.

"Perhaps I should," Zel faltered. He didn't want to leave his friends in the lurch.

But Amelia had other ideas. "Oh, no. We'll be fine. You go ahead and keep Kiki company and the others in line. Miwan wanted to go through part of his scene again. And Jillas and Gravos can use some more practice. Val and Filia can work with them if you need to check all the systems. I know you can make it all go smoothly. See you later!"

Was Amelia trying to get rid of me? Zelgadiss blinked. "Fine, then. Later..." He looked over his shoulder at Xelloss, who was waving to Zolf and his van-load of Slayers. He couldn't believe it. He just got the brush-off! And from Amelia! He needed to talk with her, but first, "Rodimus! Wake up! We'll go back with Zolf. You need to keep on eye on Lina. We don't know anything about those moronic Rossburg guys."

With a tip of his invisible cap, Rodimus trotted after the other group. With little effort, he had convinced them all to let him tag along.

Zel watched as them stroll out of sight. He was still shaking his head in disbelief when Xelloss passed by. "Zelgadiss, have some lunch before we go back to check the stage setup, okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. Fine. You know," Zel asked as they joined the others at the picnic table. "Amelia actually didn't want me to join them. She told me to stay behind."

"Really?" Xelloss said, fighting down a bemused smile. "I guess she finally realized that you only wanted her friendship. She's more likely to meet some boys without you hanging around her. Ah, Sylphiel, would you pass me one of those...whatever-they-ares, please." He smiled her way as he felt Zel's eyes drill into his head. Amelia– one; Zelgadiss– zero.

* * *

Evolvement

Rodimus was trying to find the other man's parked vehicle, which Mr. Rossburg was unbelievably unhelpful with, while the kids all jabbered excitedly about their possible new roles. But when they opened the scripts, and saw the title: 'Grant Us Justice and Peace: The Death of the Abominable Fiend and Pop Star, Lina Inverse', Lina practically blew her top (and their cover.)

Gourry clutched her in his arms, burying her face in his chest and stifling her shouts. "She's a little high-strung," he explained. He hoped she wouldn't kill him, but it was really important that they keep a low profile, even he knew that.

Imprisoned in his arms, Lina started hyperventilating. She had to break out. But the more she fought him, the tighter the arms became. Then came that soothing, velvety voice asking her to be still. His voice was low and so gentle, it silenced her. "Lina, please settle down."

She froze. Okay, so it was more of a cocoon than a cell, as she'd first felt. A warm, snuggly, safe...cocoon– with a heartbeat. Lina noticed, with some mental rejection, how massive he had become. His chest had broadened and deepened and his arms were easily as big around as her thigh. That's when Lina took a good look at her friend, up close and personal. She rarely saw anyone that near to her- or wanted to. There was a trace of blonde stubble on his chin and along his jaw line. At that moment, Gourry became a man in her eyes, not her pal down the block. Zel had changed, too, but Gourry was all grown up. Xelloss, although the oldest, appeared as youthful as ever, in comparison. She felt one of his thumbs gently rubbing one of her shoulders. She pushed back a ways feeling his resistance and his growing warmth.

"Grrrr, let...me...go," she growled. Her noise was muffled against his shirt, but the vibrations tickled his chest.

Gourry laughed and freed his charge. There was something about a big guy laughing, especially one ordinarily so quiet; it made a chuckle bubble up within Lina. And out it burst!

"Ha, ha!"

She gripped his strong forearms for support and started to laugh so hard tears streamed from her eyes. She also hiccupped.

"Lina, are you okay?" Gourry asked with concern. He had thought she was just laughing, but the tears caught his attention. Had he crushed her?

"Yeah-eh," she smiled and released him. "Hi-hi-hic-cups from laughing too... (hic) hard."

"Ah, that's good, then," he smiled. "Laughing's good fer ya. Mom says it releases stress, and with all you've been doin' lately, I betcha needed a break."

Well, Gourry hit the nail on the head! It was Lina's turn once again to be dumbfounded by his insightful comment. She remained speechless, so he continued, "Sure ya do, so let's do this play thing for Mr. Ross...guy here, and blow off some steam."

"Yeah...okay," Lina agreed. It was comforting knowing that he was thinking of her welfare, _but was that all?_ She could have sworn that she had caught his eyes raking over her as they'd pushed apart and had heard a sigh escaping when she had been in his arms. _Was this 'love'? _Xelloss had spewed up his guts to say as much to her, on several occasions, but not Gourry. Oh, sure he had dashed off a quick poem or two, and he sure hated for Xelloss to pay attention to her, _but was that love?_ _Was that 'for all time' love or 'you sure are cute' love or 'I want you, I need you, be MINE' love? _

Lina shook her head. _How confusing! Why would anyone want to be exclusively loved... to the exclusion of others? It sounded smothering. Why one-on-one anyway? Oh, yeah... the marriage and children thing. Ha! Like that's ever going to happen to the Lina Inverse, singer and writer supreme! Nobody is gonna tie me down; monopolize me to the day I die! _

Not far off, Amelia had been reading her script aloud. Amelia's youthful vivacity and quick study caught Rossburg's eye. "You I shall cast as the star of the play," he exclaimed enthusiastically.

Lina heard the man's declaration and combined with her former thought processes, burst out emotionally with, "I will be nobody's possession!"

Gourry backed off, confusion contorting his happy face. Had he done something wrong?

Amelia stopped reading and turned Lina's way. "Miss Lina?"

Not to be outdone by her best friend, Lina immediately asked Mr. Rossburg what role she could play. "It had better be an important one!"

Gourry relaxed, letting out the breath he'd been holding. 'Course Lina hadn't hit him, that was something to consider and maybe it was all about the part she was about to play. There were times he didn't get Lina, not that it mattered. Long as she turned to him for comfort now and then, that had to count for something. It would keep him hoping...

Mr. Rossburg contemplated Lina's request a split second mumbling, "Good lungs, powerful voice, but so small...but it takes two..." The man appraised the tall, strong blonde man standing close by and grinned. "I have the perfect part!"

And that was how Lina, together with Gourry, was cast as the dragon.

Leaving only the question: "Why am I the REAR end!" on Lina's enraged lips.

That settled, it was time to move on. "Now, to my caravan!" the director called out. "My associate (and cook) will take us on to the small stage where we shall prepare for the greatest performance of all times!"

Rodimus sighed as he watched the old VW vanagon pull out of the parking lot. He had not been invited along and his other van-load of kids had already taken off, squeezed together on Zolf's vehicle. He pulled out his cell phone and called Zolf. "I'm going back to my van and chase after them. Yes, I put a tracking device on their vehicle. It won't be hard to follow. I think it's only going a mile or so up the road anyway. Yeah, thanks."

Rossburg lived up to his reputation; he was insistent on the actors' getting their performance right, and a harsh taskmaster to boot. "Start memorizing your lines. You won't have time later! How does that fit?" he asked Amelia who had scrambled into the back of the vehicle to test out her outfit.

"He's really into his work," Gourry said as an aside to the driver beside him.

"Yeah, sometimes too much. Unfortunately, he mixes up plays and reality all the time," the cook-actor explained.

After Rossburg saw Amelia in costume, which was strikingly reminiscent of a typical Magical Girl in a Japanese anime, he was reminded of his little sister. "Ah... so long...I haven't seen her in years. So like her, you are...the blossom of youth blushing on her cheeks..."

"See what I mean...?" the driver muttered to Gourry. "Wait till you get your turn."

Amelia, however, was touched and poured her heart into doing her best for him. "Now taste the swift sword of justice! Amelia cried out her lines from the script.

"Wonderful! Magnificent! Do it again!" Rossburg shouted as the vehicle came to a stop. "Ah, good. Now you can do it on stage."

In no time at all it seemed the play was coming together– it was more a skit than a full length play, after all. Amelia, Lina, and Gourry had practiced the key, and only, scene where the hero defeats the dragon often enough to satisfy themselves, when Rossburg decided to add more 'oomph' to the scene with explosives. In his hands, however, everyone feared their lives would be doomed.

Even Lina didn't trust the director's judgment. "Whoa, that's pretty dangerous stuff he's wavin' around," Lina noted.

"See why I got those safety guys for our play?" Gourry pointed out his important part of the protection retinue. "Things can go wrong. And no amount of insurance can bring back a blown hand or a life."

Lina nodded. No arguing that.

Fortunately for the Rossburg company, the crazy director was carted off stage temporarily by the rest of crew before anybody could get hurt.

* * *

Entitlement

Zangalus checked his watch. "Zel? I need to step out for a minute and make a call...pick up something at the market."

Zel nodded, "Go ahead. We don't need you back for a while."

He left quickly. Zangalus was having second thoughts about turning over his little farce to Vurumagen now. As much as he thought he didn't like Gourry, he found no animosity directed toward him by the Slayers, and in fact, he had grown to like and admire Zelgadiss considerably. Ever since the summer when Zel had temporarily lived with him and his father while he and Xelloss were fighting, Zangalus counted Zel among his closest friends, best possibly. Gourry...he couldn't out-fence the guy, but as he spent more time with him, he had learned to like him too. Lina he respected, Amelia was a doll, Sylphiel and Filia seemed like models. Val he steered clear of, knowing his tough background, but since Zel trusted him... Xelloss, however, made him uneasy. Zangalus understood that Gourry didn't trust the guy, and agreed– there was something...many things...odd about Xelloss. Just before leaving, Xelloss had been staring at him, as if he suspected...as if he knew what he had done. Overwhelmed with guilt, Zangalus fled to see if he could undo the monster he may have put into motion.

"Vurumagen? I've changed my mind. Come get your money back."

"Too late. Already sent it on."

"Tell me where. I just want to see that...they are respectful to...my work."

"Listen, you can go, but don't interfere, unless you want to be a part of it...?"

"No, I work alone." Zangalus wanted to remain on his own; he was not working for others, especially Vurumagen.

"Oh? Well, may I remind you that there will be others there to capture Lina et all alive. So don't interfere, unless you want her blood on your hands," Vurumagen warned. Not that he actually could or would do her any harm himself.

Zangalus hung up the pay phone at the market. He would have to find another way. "If I could just find out where that contest was being held..." he muttered.

"Um, excuse me. I don't usually listen in on other guys' conversations, but you mentioned a contest?"

Zangalus nodded, "Short plays. I wrote one and want to see it performed. I have my doubts...the actors would have only gotten their scripts today. How good a job could they do?"

"I hear you. My crazy director just got his scripts and gave away my part, ME! Me, the star...the hero! He gave my part away to some little skirt with big blue eyes! Maybe that's your play, huh? I'll tell you, it's starting right over there in a few minutes." The kid pointed vaguely and Zangalus squinted into the forest.

"Thanks."

"Say, if you want to put a stop to it, I've got some friends..." The young actor pointed over to the benches where Lina and Martina had once rested. Four oddly dressed young men lounged along, across, and beside the seats.

"Animals," Zangalus thought to himself. "Ah, no thanks. I'll take care of my problem myself."

* * *

Endearment

Lina curled up on a pile of old faded curtains and instantly fell asleep. Pleasant dreams turned to nightmares about her entire situation, being chased by not only the dragon costume, but her pony one, Amelia's starfish, Gourry's jellyfish, both Xelloss' frog and jester ones, and Zel's bunny-gone-mad with fangs and silver-wire hair, only to discover that her escape route was blocked by a giant Rossburg– or was that captain Ashford riding a shark bare-back? She awoke with a start. Gourry and Amelia were chatting nearby. She had only been asleep for a minute or two. "Ugh... I can't take this any more, guys," Lina groaned.

But Amelia confessed, "I love this! I may have found my true calling!"

And Gourry had grown fond of the dragon costume. "This work's easy. Besides there's plenty of food. I've gotten sorta attached to this guy!" he said with a smile while holding up the costume's head.

"Oh, great," Lina said with a roll of her eyes.

She needed a break. Lina took a moment to slip away, and wound up in an alley plastered with posters of her, Gourry, and the other members of the Slayers band– 'Come see the Slayers Stars! Here!'

Good grief! Frenzied fans spotting her now would be a problem. She started to head back to the playhouse, when a fan-patrol rounded the corner, finding her.

"Aren't you Lina Inverse? That Lina? Can I cut a bit of your hair for my collection? Would you have my child?"

Immediately, Lina started to try to bluff her way out of it, "Ah, no...but people tell me I do resemble her a little..." when Mr. Rossburg appeared in search of her.

"Ah! There you are, my dear daughter. You should be back at the studio, working!" He slapped her none-too-gently on the back, forcing her gasp.

Lina promptly jumped in on the act. Two could play rough house! "Ahhhh, gee dad...Do I gotta? I was just takin' a break..." She gave him a hard push for good measure.

Rossburg tripped her. "No running off for you!"

Lina caught the bigger man in a hammer hold, "But Da-ad! I'm so bored!"

His lips were tinged blue before he had pulled her off and delivered a punch to her mid-section hard enough to knock the air out of her lungs. "I'll show you how to love boredom!"

The touching display of "tough love" between father and daughter became so rough, that the lead fan boy of the entourage pleaded with them not to hurt each other. "Stop it you guys! Maybe you should get some counseling."

"Even though you're not who we thought you were, we certainly don't want to stay and watch you torment one another, so...bye!" another said, and the patrol continued on its way.

On the way back to the playhouse with Rossburg, Lina ventured, "So, you know who I am, that we're part of that band puttin' on the musical tonight. We tend to attract a large crowd of...unsavories, shall we say, as well as fans. What I mean is, well...why didya save me just now?"

"It doesn't matter who you really are. What matters to me is that you are one of my precious actors ... and you reminded me of my real daughter."

Lina started to call him on the unlikely story, but seeing a tear forming at the corner of his eye, she simply smiled and said, "Well, thanks mister."

* * *

Entropy

When they had returned, the audience was gathering outside the amphitheater for the play-off competition. Dozens of short one-act plays and skits had already been performed for the contest. Now, following a break, theirs was to be the last play of the afternoon.

But before the doors had opened, Rossburg was called backstage by a blue-haired temptress, whom he took to be from a previous play since she was dressed chin-to-ankle in a lizard-skin jumpsuit. "Um, yes dear? I can only give you a minute, my play is about to start..."

Meanwhile, Zangalus had only just located the correct building in time to watch Lina and Rossburg's return. He had to get in there and stop the thing. That's when he spotted Vurumagen and the lizard-lady and shrank back, "Not her...the principal's assistant...?"

Zangalus had overheard Lina and Zel discuss many of their plans; he had personally participated in last spring's attack upon Phibrizzo so he knew that the Slayers were not paranoid. The syndicate was really anywhere and everywhere, but was Miss Sherra a part of that too? Her? He had come to be suspicious of Vurumagen shortly after meeting him last summer. He had looked him up, asked him too many questions about Lina and Xelloss, and about his adventures chasing Phibrizzo in particular. Zangalus knew, under threats from his father, the now Chief of Police of Seyruun McGywn, to stay mum about it all, especially the syndicate involvement. But just the other day, Martina had let it slip to Lina that Vurumagen knew her funny jewelry came from the Ancient Clan territory. It hadn't, of course, but that was where he had first seen Lina wearing the pieces. From Lina's reaction it was clear she suspected him to be a syndicate employee of come kind. Now he was here with Miss Sherra. What did those two have in common? Was she giving Vurumagen orders? Why was she here?

Zangalus didn't have the answers, but he was determined to do something. A movement just inside the door caught his attention. Two other men were donning animal costumes. One Zangalus recognized to be Vurumagen struggling into a cow suit, but the other was older, hardened. One look at that big thug in the stepping into a gorilla outfit, and Zangalus knew that Sherra's role in all this couldn't be good. Things looked bad now. When they moved off, Zangalus slipped inside, grabbed the first mask he touched, and in disguise, tracked the two animal-men.

Unfortunately, the three intruders entered stage left just as the play began. The lights were on them, the audience watching. "Shit," Zangalus hissed.

There was nothing but to simply join in. He certainly knew how the story went, having written it. Amelia jumped atop a stage prop rock to avoid an attack by the roaring Lina-Gourry dragon, Zangalus stepped to the forefront and declared, "Brave heroine, I have come to help kill this villain!"

"Who are they?" Gourry asked Lina under the costume.

"I don't know. The Rossburg idiot probably went and changed the script on us and brought in a couple extras. Just play it by ear, I guess."

Her words had barely escaped her lips when Vurumagen and Zazan, bestially costumed, attacked the 'dragon.' Gourry reared back and roared, slashing out with his dragon claws, not knowing who was who. When he was bashed on the skull by a heavy metal object and a rip separated his half of the costume from Lina's, Gourry shouted, "Hold it!"

Lina was furious, "Hey! Those are real swords!"

The audience cheered the 'startling realism!'

The dragon costume was cut into pieces. Lina and Gourry shrugged off the last few scraps and stumbled onto a trap door just as the unseen Rossburg yanked on the cord which opened it. "Ahhhh!" they screamed as they disappeared below stage.

With Lina and Gourry out of the picture, Zangalus became truly frightened for the first time. It was definitely time to get help. At least he could recognize when he was in over his head, he maintained solemnly as he ran out of the building to find Zelgadiss.

Lina and Gourry had landed in the basement of the theater The lizard lady, who was holding Rossburg, had her back to them, but turned at their noisy interruption.

"Getcher slimy hands off that guy!" Lina shouted. And, in the spirit of the Power-rangers-style schlock they were performing, announced "Rocket Kick!" as she let it loose.

Sherra was stunned when the lower half of the dragon costume flew into her face feet-first, knocking the woman to the floor and taking the director down with her.

"Are you all right?" Gourry asked Rossburg as he helped him to his feet. "That lizard-person didn't hurt you none, did she?"

But Rossburg was unappreciative. Attractive ladies didn't often come on to him, and this one had been willing to meet him later, after the show. He didn't say that, though. Instead, he upbraided them for not continuing the play!

Lina started to protest, "Damnit! I dunno who those guys were (seeing as I was in the rear of the dragon suit), but they're here after us!"

Miss Sherra sat up and Gourry and Lina recognized her at once. "Oh, you're the principal's helper, aren't ya?" Gourry asked. "You okay?"

"Yes, thank you." She glowered at Lina. Things had gone awry, again. Quick thinking and backpedaling were called for until her minions had things under control. "Mr. Grauscherra sent me over. He was concerned that you weren't present for your own musical. The show can't go on without you."

"Oh, ah, sorry," Lina said as contritely as she could. But she wasn't fooled. Grauscherra had no way of knowing she was here with Gourry and Amelia. Miss Sherra had just missed a trick! "I guess we oughta get this one over with then, right Gourry?"

"That's right!"

"Absolutely! Back to work! Nobody **ever** interrupts and stops one of my plays!" Rossburg repeated.

"Okay..." Lina grinned evilly. "But first, Rossburg, where did those explosives go that you were wanting to use?"

* * *

Entertainment

All this time, Amelia had been on her own with Vurumagen and Zazan standing stupidly on either side of her. After Lina and Gourry had disappeared, they appeared baffled not knowing what to do next. Amelia, though, had crowd experience. Yes! She knew what to do with a captive audience! Her face lit up and she broke into a Slayer's song, which everyone recognized, and turned it into a sing-a-long.

"Isn't that Amelia singing?" Zelgadiss asked, easing himself inside past the door. He withdrew his mechanical pencil and went about filling out the judging card placed on his chair seat.

"Why yes, Zelgadiss, it is!" Xelloss returned humorously. "See, up on the stage. Oh my, look who she has with her! Vurumagen and Zazan– together at last."

"Make a note of that in the comment section," Zel pointed to Xelloss' card.

Xelloss found his purple-colored pen. "You say this is a farce, Zangy?"

Zangalus stood alongside them at the back of the room, shaking his head. "This isn't how the play goes. And those guys are trying to kidnap Lina."

"Not likely," Zel assured him.

"Well, the spectators seem to be getting into it," Xelloss smiled. "Although, I can't tell where the plot is going."

Zazan, wearing only the bottom part of a gorilla costume and touting an unsheathed blade, was about to move in and silence Amelia when the stage exploded underneath him. From out of the smoke, Lina and Gourry rose into view.

While the two men were off-guard, Lina immediately launched into a dramatic exposition, claiming the spotlight and explaining to audience that: "At last you've shown yourself! Devil King-Kong Zazan, and your cow-boy-impersonator-sidekick, Vurumagen! Your evil powers changed us holy warriors into an evil dragon. You lured the brave heroine here to kill her! But now that we have regained our original forms your evil scheme ends here!"

"Ah, I guess that explains the part we missed," Zel said as an aside to Xelloss and Zangalus.

"But that's not how it **goes**!" Zangalus moaned. "Besides, he's got a knife, **see**!"

Xelloss squinted a bit, "Well, what do you know? Monkey-legs is armed! But that Vurumagen, he's an udder disappointment!"

Amelia tried to reclaim her role, "For the sake of Justice let us bind together!" joining in the new spirit of the play, and even Gourry managed a shy, "The power of Justice...unites us!" line or two before Zazan shouted to Vurumagen, "Do something, you worthless poser!"

Xelloss clapped his hands gleefully, "Oh, a new motivation!"

Zel smirked, "Oh, yes. It's just one twist after another!"

"But...but!" Zangalus sank into an empty folding chair in defeat. No, he must stop those villains; they were murdering his play! He jumped off his chair, grabbed an umbrella from the stand by the door, and raced to the stage. "Gourry!"

Gourry whirled around. Sadly, he did not see Zangalus 'the enforcer of justice', he saw Zangalus running at him with a sword-like weapon calling him out for the umpteenth time.

"Here!" Lina tossed him a length of broken curtain rod.

Gourry snatched the 'sword' out of the air and yelled enthusiastically, "Engage!"

"No, it's **_en guard!_**_" _Zangalus corrected him. "But I'm here to help, not **fight** you!"

Amelia stomped her foot angrily at the tall gorilla-man, "No fair, calling in reinforcements!"

Zangalus blocked a blow to his arm and tried again, "Listen, I'm not the one you fight!"

Alas, Gourry only heard 'fight', and struck out, "Don't gotta tell me more than once!"

With an exasperated sigh, Zangalus set to dueling again, trying to protect himself as best he could.

Amelia busied herself with pounding Zazan on the head with the weight used to counterbalance the curtains that rose up at the beginning of a show.

"Effective use of props," Xelloss noted.

"Audience participation as well," Zel nodded, watching the audience cheer and make bets.

"Amelia is a very strong young lady, isn't she?" Xelloss winced as the heavy weight thumped Zazan on the head again. "What a dumbbell! Ouch! That had to have hurt."

Zel smiled, "Yes, but not as violent as Lina, ordinarily."

"Ah...no, you are right of course," Xelloss chuckled. "Just look now!"

Vurumagen remained to confront Lina, grumbling to himself, "I knew I couldn't leave this to Zangalus..."

With his honed chemistry background, he instantly determined the effective range of the explosive in her hands, with enough time left over to shield himself with a hunk of the set. Lucky for him, the weaker fire bombs couldn't penetrate it and even she knew better that to attempt use a 'Dragon' Bomb without killing the audience. "Ha!" he smiled thinking that he had bested Lina. But he didn't reckon on Mr. Rossburg, who rolled an entire keg of explosives across the stage in Vurumagen's direction just before it was detonated.

"Move it," Lina yelled.

And her followers obeyed, plunging into the scenery for cover like Olympic diving team contenders. The resulting enormous blast reduced the set to charcoal and knocked Vurumagen and Zazan to the stage floor.

"These guys are serious!" Sherra gasped.

With the tide turned against them, Sherra used the resulting chaos to drag her two worthless henchmen off stage and beat a hasty retreat,

Amelia noticed them leaving, but it was too late to stop them. She shook her fist and decided to get the final words in, "The war is not over!"

Zelgadiss regarded the bright-eyed, pink-cheeked girl as he joined the rest of the audience in a standing ovation. "Nice job, eh?"

Xelloss grinned, he too clapping vigorously. "Yes, indeed! I think we have this year's winner."

While the judge was presenting Rossburg the first prize for this year's contest, Lina joined her two friends. "Now that's theater!"

"Feeling better?" Zel asked her with a wry smile.

"Oh, yeah. I'm all loosened up now. Zel, go extricate your girlfriend so we can go. We gotta musical to put on!"

Zel sputtered something nonsensical, but since only Xelloss had heard her and he was laughing, Zel ran off to do Lina's bidding and collect Amelia. Zangalus and Gourry ambled over to the exit all smiles. They too had enjoyed the unexpected workout and were ready to get on with the serious business of putting on a Slayers production.

"Well?" Xelloss smiled down at Lina. "All's well that ends well?"

"What? Nah, that was some other dude's play. This was more Explosive Lina's Easy Workout!"

"I see, well I think you'll find the next event a bit more exciting. The place is filled to overflowing with friends and enemies alike." Xelloss winked knowingly at her.

"You weren't here to fight off the bad guys, were ya?"

"Of course not, Lina. Zangy mentioned who'd shown up and I knew you and Amelia had the syndicate jewelry to ward off anything untoward; that is what you ingenuity couldn't overcome on its own." To himself, Xelloss added silently, "That and Rodimus is around someplace watching over you."

"Yeah, bring 'em on... and... on with the show!" Lina laughed confidently, although she put her hand to her chest and briefly touched the ring on its chain.

"As you like it," he bowed deeply.

"No, not that play either," she chuckled and punched at his arm playfully.

"Yes," he smiled genuinely. "Oh, by the way. Val's on his cell phone still back at our playhouse, but we have some news which may interest you."

* * *

Next installment... the musical finale.

From the Authors:

**_Where are the pictures?_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 44.


	45. The Musical: Acts One and Two

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 45**

The Musical: Acts One, Two, and Three

Dig a well before you are thirsty. – Chinese Proverb

* * *

"Do I need to know _right_ now?" Lina asked Xelloss as they all climbed into the van.

Done with the Rossburg production, they were _en route _to their own. Rodimus started the engine and drove the short distance to the building housing the **Slayers Musical Extravaganza**. Xelloss had hinted at something important Lina might want to be aware of.

"Not really," Xelloss replied. "We tossed a clan-dog a bone, and he bit. Your sister's conducting the cross examination as we speak."

Lina shuddered, "Geez, that guy's toast."

They exchanged knowing smiles. Lina's focus migrated out the window while his lingered hungrily on her.

"What?" Lina caught his eyes in the reflection.

"It's a sell out."

"Our musical? You bet! But that's not what you were thinking about."

"You taking up mind reading, too?" he smiled faintly and shielded his eyes behind a fringe of bangs.

"I'm taking up reading yours and you were studying me."

"Ah...so I was."

Lina narrowed her eyes. Xelloss knew that meant 'don't play with me.' "I'd like to take you someplace after this is all over."

"Like a _date_?"

"Something...longer. A week in Rio...or Cologne...or Madrid, wherever you'd like. Your choice."

"Rio, huh? Always wanted to listen to music there." She looked out the window again, then, when he thought she'd finished with him, she added, "I'll think about it."

He smiled inwardly. He hadn't told her the rest of his plans. He was just testing the waters...

"Oh, I'm getting so nervous!" Sylphiel cried out.

Cool and collected, Filia calmed her, "We're going to have fun out there. Here, I'll look you over. That tunic fits really well."

"Thanks, I practically starved myself to fit into it. Could you help me get this glove on? Zel sure has strange ideas about, you know, costumes. I mean...elbow-length gloves?"

"They make the outfit," Filia said in defense of Zel designs, "... especially with these insignia that match your tunic design. My gloves are great. I haven't shaped my nails in weeks we've been so busy, and they hide them. Is my headdress on straight? I think so, but it keeps slipping." Now Filia needed reassurance.

"It shouldn't, I think something's not right. Here, let me tighten this wire hook," Sylphiel was once again poised and confident, nerves under control.

Zelgadiss caught Zolf's attention from across the stage. Thumbs up. Security under control. He trotted on to check on Kiki who was looking over her video equipment in the sound booth.

Rodimus, Jillas, Gourry, and a serious young man from the local fire department were all re-reviewing the timers, fuses, and the plan of deployment for the multitude of fireworks and sparklers assembled. All set.

Bobby's band had proved to be real troopers, and multi-talented ones at that. The sound-system was ready. Lighting all go. Sets and props, ready as well. Each boy or girl was at their job, attending to last minute details.

The lights flickered in warning, 'Five more minutes...'

"No, Mr. Xelloss, you can't go down there. Mr. Subaru's fine. Just look...NO! Keep your head back. If the crowd sees you, they'll start screaming. They're worked up enough without that. Just peek. See? He's on the side."

"Count D? That's him with Subaru!" Xelloss giggled with excitement.

"Really? A COUNT?" Amelia was impressed by royalty. "But I just see a Chinese...man?"

"That's Count D. Very mysterious man.

"Oh, and what cute guys!" Sylphiel cried out as she joined them.

Xelloss shook his head, "The three being introduced to Subaru? They are from the CLAMP Campus Detective Agency. They're...oh it doesn't matter... I'm glad they showed up."

"Isn't that Miroku?" Sylphiel squinted in the same direction. "It looks like he brought his priest's staff."

"He had better have it..." Xelloss mumbled.

Zel joined them. "You can't miss Kagome's friends. Look for flowing white hair." He was referring to Kagome's boyfriend, Inu,

Gourry knew what Zel was looking for. From his height and with his superior eyesight, Gourry located the cluster of kids Zel was referring to with no trouble. "He's got his sword. Inu. Hiding in his long coat thingee."

Zel nodded, "Thanks." He traded glances with Xelloss. They hadn't time to search for everyone they hoped would come prepared. Buddies appeared to be spaced out evenly around the room on aisles. They had to trust. "Lina and Gourry are headed to the stage. Nahga's waving to you to grace her presence."

"See you later, antagonist."

"Right, Xelloss," Zel smiled. Xelloss was his best friend, but in the musical his role as good or evil was unclear, wavering until the end.

Lina had been standing alone. From her location behind the scenes, she could catch glimpses of faces, mostly people she knew and liked.

"There you are! You look lovely. All ready? How do I look?"

Lina jumped. She hadn't heard Grauscherra's approach. "Eh? Oh, ah yeah, thanks. And, you look fine."

"Wonderful! I'm so excited, you know. Tonight will be my acting debut."

"That's just...great." Lina wondered if she had made a mistake using the man in the finale. Would he pull it off, or was he pulling the wool over her eyes? Xelloss had promised her that he was prepared for a stab in the back, but when would it come?

"And the profits from tonight will fund several teachers' salaries and save the language department next year." He sighed and smiled wistfully. "If only this musical could run for a week, imagine what we could do then?"

That didn't sound like the workings of a syndicate leader about to bring down the Slayers. "Yeah, too bad about that. Never know, though."

The man looked around, "I wonder where that assistant of mine got off to? She has something I wanted to show you and she has my profit numbers."

Lina's eye's narrowed. _This guy has got to be kidding, or think I'm stupid– a bad thing to do. _"I ran into her outside."

"Oh? What was she doing out there, I wonder? I need her here..."

"Grauscherra, I don't get you and I don't really care, but Sherra was with your goons, Vurumagen and Zazan, trying to kill me or something..."

"KILL? Say what? Var-room-again? Zazan? What's with you kids and the funny names here?"

Lina continued, "Yeah, let's see if these ring some bells for you too? Kanzel, Mazenda...Zelas? Things coming together for you, now?"

"Xelloss, Zelgadiss, too! Such odd names. A Seyruun thing?" he asked without expression.

"NO, you idiot! They are your...minions, er...not Zelgadiss, he's your nephew or something."

"Nephew? What do you mean?"

"Zelgadiss, of course... Geez..." _Maybe he was an idiot, too! _Now Lina had considerable experience conversing with lamebrains, having both Sylphiel and Gourry to deal with constantly, so she figured to be patient and try to explain things. "Zel's mother was Xelloss' sister...a _much_ older sister who shared Xelloss' father- who was another nasty, nasty man that I don't wanna go into right now... Okay, so it was that sister's _mother_ who was the heir to Grauscherra Dynasty– _your _family. Get the link now? _(As if you didn't already know all this you snake!)_"

Maybe he didn't. His eyes were wide in an expression of surprise. "So that's what happened to her, my older...much older sister. I'd heard rumors, but she was said to have died."

"Oh, she did. Xelloss told me his father killed her and his own daughter later when each in turn refused to join his...organization."

"She had a daughter? A grandson? That's _Zelgadiss_? That one?"

Lina was about to slap the man silly, when she noticed Gourry waving frantically to her to join him. "I much as I'd like to stay and discuss your perverted family and organizational chart, I gotta musical to perform in. I gotta go find my mark."

"Break a leg, Miss Inverse!" Grauscherra said meaningfully and walked off.

The lights dimmed one last time as the recorded version of 'Give a Reason' intensified over the speakers, silencing the noisy audience. And the musical began...

* * *

Act One In the beginning, there was evil...

Scene One.

A single spotlight glowed, intensifying and highlighting two figures, one, a woman, was reclining on a chaise lounge the other, a young man, kneeling at her feet. A stream of smoke issued from between the woman's dark, red lips as she pushed a golden lock of hair behind her ear. In the background, the soulful howling of wolves filled the theater.

"You called me here for some reason. What are your orders, Zelas?" Xelloss cloaked in black used his staff for balance as he looked up, meeting her eyes in expectation.

Nahga, as Zelas, smiled and leaned forward, displaying her ample cleavage to the audience. "Why don't you call me 'Mother', okay dear?"

Xelloss shook his head and replied with a smile, "I...think not, mistress, Lord Beastmaster of the monster race."

Zelas-Nahga drew in a lung-full of smoke and expelled another breath. "You always were a stubborn child. Well, then...," she puffed again. "I have a particular job for you. It is very important, so pay careful attention, understand?"

"What is it you want?"

"I want you to get close to Lina Inverse, follow her, become an important part of her life."

"Lina. Is that all?"

"No, that's just the beginning, but the most important part. I also want you to get to know Zelgadiss Greywords better as well. They will become the two most important people in your universe."

"Besides you," he smiled.

"Yes, dear. I am always your number one priority. You live or die at my whim. Follow them and certain others I will have you draw into our net."

"But, why can't I just have friends and lead a normal life for once? What if I just...refuse?" Xelloss' voice cracked with despair.

"Oh...do you need to be reminded? Stand and remove your shirt."

Xelloss regained his feet gracefully then lay his ruby-topped staff aside. He unclasped his cloak and let it pool at his feet. Next, he untied the deep yellow sash at his waist, yanked off his matching turtleneck, and let them fall amid gasps from the awe-struck audience. Very few people knew he concealed a scarred torso beneath his clothes. It was something real that no makeup could have created. One of the observers, their principal, frowned. Lina had given him some new facts to think about and now this.

Clouded in a haze of smoke, Xelloss waited.

"Come closer," she purred.

As she raised her burning cigarette to his exposed chest, a few voices in the crowd cried out, "No!", hoping to stop her from pressing the lit end against his chest.

"Xelloss..."

He reached out and grasped her wrist, "That won't be necessary. I will collect these... friends and follow them, awaiting your orders."

"Yes...you will." Nahga-Zelas smiled and sat back. "Don't forget your place. Remember, I will be watching you everyday."

"I won't forget, my mistress...**Zelas.**" He stooped to pick up his staff and clothes, pausing a moment to give Nahga a wink before straightening up.

**_"Zelas!_**" The hiss raced through the audience, repeated as kids grasped the association of this character with their past high school principal.

Sara killed the spotlight and brought up dim floor lights to enable the set crew enough light to see by. Nahga and Xelloss walked nimbly off stage as Zangalus, Val, and Gourry's brother Joey found their marks.

Joey had been a last-minute addition. Originally, Lina had thought to use Miwan to play the young Val part, but amid tearful calls from Gourry's mother and pleading ones from Joey, Lina relented and had him and Zangalus practice their scene at home. They had a chance to run through it again on stage only once– Lina hoped it would suffice.

* * *

Scene Two.

A smoke machine operated by the lanky-framed Lee of the Flying Figs, poured out wafts of mist to add to Nahga's nicotine smog. The set was bleak, like gray stone cliffs, and dark, punctuated by flashes of light and sharp claps reminiscent of a battle fought in the distance.

A tall man with a flood of red hair bore down on a young man, huddled in fear at his feet. "Grieve, yes... for all your people are dead, but not for long. We must leave here and I shall take you with me." Zangalus-Gaav unsheathed his sword. "You can stay here and join the bones of the dead, or come with me...join me..."

Joey-as-Val pushed a soft lank of green-dyed hair out of his eyes and looked up into Zangalus-Gaav's face. "I don't want to die," he cried out.

Zangalus-Gaav grinned (which was an awful thing to see. Zangalus rarely smiled because of his crooked teeth.) And grabbed the boy by his hair and pulled him to his feet. "Of course not. You are the last of the Ancient Dragons and harbor tremendous power. You shall be reincarnated as a monster and take my name...**ValGaav**!"

Another hubbub of _'ValGaav?'_ echoed throughout the room.

"G-gaav? Y-ou are the m-monster Lord Gaav?" Joey-Val gasped.

"I am Demon Dragon Lord Gaav!" Following this disclaimer, the man appeared to drive his sword through the chest of the boy.

Both shouted and yelled in their shared agony, as the lights dimmed for the next scene change.

Lee and Luke, percussionist and violinist for the Flying Figs, shoved and heaved the sets around. Gone were the stone walls and in place were their carefully constructed break-away shrine walls and bare trees concealing flares and sparklers within their trunks. Everything used in this scene was coated with anti-combustive material. Lina hoped Gourry was right about the concentrations he mixed. She didn't want to burn down the theater this soon into the show!

As with the previous scenes, the lights would begin low, highlighting only the few active participants, but as the actors multiplied on stage more illumination would be added.

John ticked off his roles on a hand jokingly, "I am so lucky a guy to play a dirty, low-down murderer, a maniacal, murdering, mad-child; a murdering mad lord; and a murdering madman of a priest," meaning a common thief, Phibrizzo, Darkstar and the Red Priest. He jangled his ring-topped staff and took his position on what appeared to be the upper level of an open stairway with an elegant swirl of his ankle-length scarlet cape.

In a quick-change move, Zangalus ripped off his 'Gaav' trench coat revealing a plain gray-blue tunic underneath. Pearl, the Flying Fig guitarist, handed him a hooded sorcerer's cape in return for the long red wig, and held his sword while he adjusted the cape's clasp at his throat.

"Yeah, at least I get to be one of the good guys...as well as a murdering madman..." Zangalus shot back in a low voice _nearly_ smiling.

While Zangalus freed his stringy, brown hair from its ponytail, Pearl checked that the blade was returned to the sheath hanging at his side. "Lookin' good, Mr. Inverse, Sorcerer Supreme," Pearl winked.

His smiled and pulled the hood over his head, and, sporting a faint blush, entered the stage as the red-toned spotlight found John-the Great Red Priest.

* * *

Scene Three.

"Don't be a fool, Red Priest! If you let loose with your spells, you'll kill yourself...me...and the priest and his family that are still holed up in this place. I don't know if their little girl got away yet. She's only a baby, little Sylphiel! Leave the shrine, come with me. I am a powerful healer as well as sorcerer. This madness you suffer from can be cured!" Zangalus-Inverse shouted.

As Lina's CIA father, who died after evacuating most of the shrine while attempting to talk the madman into turning himself in, Zangalus hoped he did the man proud.

"No! Nooooo! Inverse, you cannot save me...and...the Monster race shall not take my soul!" John-Red Priest hollered in his best impression of a man possessed. "I shall destroy all my records and myself!"

Jillas triggered the fuses causing impressive explosions with sparks and voluminous clouds of smoke to haze over the stage. Cries of surprise and shock were scattered throughout the auditorium. The sets fell apart on cue and the two men fell. And when the smoke cleared, everything had worked perfectly and the audience understood that more good people had just been used up by the evil monsters' agenda.

The prerecorded background music changed to an upbeat, motivational Slayers-Flying Fig tune. Bobby, as leader of the Flying Figs, directed his team smoothly to change sets, arrange the next collection of props, sweep the floor of ashes, and he would have been up in rafters supervising Sara handling the lights if he could have been in two places at once. The gloomy sets were rolled off and the stage was transposed into a forest glade, a crossroads running through it. Bobby, satisfied that all was well, returned to his post in the sound booth. The audience's enthusiastic applause wound down as the lighting brightened and Lina strode confidently on stage, whistling a tune.

* * *

Act Two But there was also hope!

Scene One

From both sides of the stage, a thundering herd of kids clothed as raggle-taggle bandits surrounded her. Bad guys Jillas, Gravos, Miwan, John, and Zangalus, masks drawn over their faces, closed in on Lina. Gravos wasn't especially good with memorizing his part, so John had taken the bandit-leader's lines. "Hey, didn't anybody ever tell ya that it ain't safe for little girls to be out wandering alone? Why don't you hand over what goods as you've got, and we'll kill ya quick like."

The bandits all chuckled in evil agreement.

"I'd rather hold on to my gold and my life, so just move it, buster," Lina said in a level tone, hands on her hips.

"Git 'er," John nodded towards Gravos.

"Argh!" Gourry bounded between Gravos and Lina. His sword cut a swath in the air, seeming to slice through the bandits with each arc of his swing.

Lina stepped back, arms folded over her chest and a smile on her face. To the audience she said, "Well, if he wants to do the dirty work, who am I to stop him? Now where do you suppose these guys dropped their loot?"

While Gourry finished hacking up the bandits, Lina located a bag of gold half hidden in a clump of brush. "Yes!"

"Oh? Whatcha got there?" Gourry wiped his blade on his pants and sheathed it. In two long-legged strides, he was at Lina's side.

"Huh? Oh... nothing!" she chirped and hid the heavy bag beneath her long dark cloak.

"Oh, the robbers' loot! That's good. You'll need that, huh? So, ah... My name's Gourry Gabriev."

"Ah...Lina Inverse, Sorceress Supreme." Lina flipped her hair over a shoulder, a shoulder enhanced by enormous decorative shoulder pads and a floor length cloak. That, plus her shiny, ruby-red body-suit and high-heeled boots, made her easily the most recognizable character on stage, which had been Zel's intention when he had designed the costume.

"Lina. Well, looks like you'll be needing a guard," he smiled down at her a moment, looking her over. "I can do that, seeing as I am one." Indeed, if his chest covered with armor hadn't been a dead giveaway, his sword-play was!

The lights dimmed and the spot split, one on Gourry, who spoke to the crowd, "She's a lot younger than I thought. Kinda disappointing. I was hopin' to rescue a babe!"

Next the other spot focused on Lina, whose turn it was to speak out her thoughts, "Geez, he's pretty handy with that sword, but not so sharp up here, eh?" She pointed to her head and chuckled, "Heh, heh..."

The lights were back on Gourry, who said, "But I can't just leave her here. I'd better stick with her till she gets home to make sure she's safe."

Then Lina said, "Guy like that might need me to make sure he doesn't get taken advantage of. Guess I'll let him tag along with me for awhile."

When they turned back to one another and he patted her on the head affectionately, the audience twittered and whistled. The two did have chemistry on stage and a lot of history together.

"Yeah, guess you can follow along..." Lina smiled.

"You bet. Now, where we goin'?" matching her smile.

"Atlas City! Come on, let's go!"

They exited the stage together, ran around backstage and re-entered from the opposite side.

Amelia tugged at her blouse and flouncy skirt nervously.

"You look fine...really nice, Amelia." Zel his chest warming at-- what sounded to his ears –- the unnatural compliment issuing from his lips.

She grinned and winked in return, "Thanks, Zelgadiss. So do you!"

Zel rolled his eyes thinking, _That's__ what I get for being nice...and... it wasn't so bad, after all...now that I think about it.._. He cleared his throat as he fought the blush continuing to creep up his neck, "Time to go on now..." then he urged her forward with a gentle push.

* * *

Scene Two

Zel stood at the side out of sight and watched his friends. Amelia was quite a good actress with a loud, clear voice and good articulation. She did her perky act, greeting Lina and Gourry, asking to join them on her way to Atlas City to deliver an important message from her father, the prince of Seyruun. Lina wanted to look into some rumors of hidden treasure in the mountains nearby and Gourry hadn't considered what he'd do once he got them there.

Zel checked his watch. They were doing great keeping the pace right on target. He listened for his cue– there, Amelia finished her solo number. Zel pulled the cloth mask over his face, and then leapt onto sturdy rock blocking the three travelers.

"Eep!" Amelia squeaked as she jumped back in alarm.

"I'm in a hurry," Lina growled. "So, make it snappy, then get outta my way."

"You are Lina Inverse?" Zel asked.

As she nodded, "You gotta name, buster?"

Zel hopped off the rock and stood no more than a foot from her. "You may call me Zelgadiss. And, Miss Inverse, you have something of mine. I'm willing to pay...a reasonable price, of course, to get it back. Then I will leave."

"Take down that mask, then we'll see about negotiating," Lina demanded.

Zel sighed in defeat, and then lowered his mask to reveal his scarred face. "If you insist...Satisfied?" he asked spitefully, knowing how disturbed they were by his appearance, especially the little girl whispering in Lina's ear.

"He's so...suspicious-looking," Amelia noted.

Gourry stepped up, "Ah, what happened to you, ah...Zelda-geus?"

"That's **Zel-ga-diss **by the way, and I need that particular magical object from you to cure myself," Zel directed his last statement to Lina bluntly ignoring Gourry's question.

"Miss Lina's a strong sorceress and I'm a white magic priestess and princess of Seyruun. Give us a chance to cure you of...of...what is it you've got?" Amelia asked.

Zelgadiss launched into a musical retelling of his transformation from young lad to disfigured shaman swordsman. At the same time, far from the stage outside, dark figures entered the theater grounds. Two climbed trees, another three scuttled around the far side of the building to claim their outposts, and two more mounted atop the roof and disappeared.

Zolf felt his cell phone buzz and stepped into the foyer to take the call. "Zolf here. Already? Understood. Ah, things are going as planned. There are people staked out all over. No, no sign of them yet. Okay."

Meanwhile inside by the aisle, Sanosuke Sagara, known to his friends as simply 'Sano', spotted an old enemy from out of town and bristled.

"What's the matter?" asked Megumi, his girlfriend for the past year and one half. She graduated with honors the year before and was currently a first-year medical student at Seyruun University. In preparation for an excepted fight, Megumi had taped his hands to protect them from the impact of his tremendous blows. She noticed that he'd been on edge all afternoon and that his older friend at his side was tense as well.

"Nothin' yet," Sano muttered. He elbowed his cohort and ally in need, Kenshin.

Kenshin had noticed the intruder as well- Hajime Saito, a syndicate assassin out of Kyoto. He was not surprised, just saddened that such an evil man was out after these young people. Kenshin's violet eyes glittered as he fought to balance the opposing forces in his mind-- man of peace vs. swordsman. One nod was his answer, followed by a sharp tilt of his head to one side, and the unnoticed movement of a hand to his sword hilt on the other.

Sano followed the movement with his eyes to scan the audience. He found who his friend wanted him to see on the far side of the room. "I get it; Aoshi's showed up with that tough little Misao chick. Good, we can use the back up."

"What's Sano saying?" Kenshin's young girlfriend, Kamiya Kaoru, asked. She shared a few of Filia's classes at the high school, while Sano usually hung out with Val in his classes.

But further discussion was silenced by Megumi's hiss, "Shhhhhh!"

Kenshin smiled apologetically and turned back to the show. He was fond of the Slayers. Zelgadiss had been his sword-technique student for a short while last spring and summer, and a promising one at that! And Lina was such a firebrand, like his girlfriend in many ways. Sano was a friend of Val's and he knew Xelloss from the dojo. Since Val had moved out of his trailer and into Xelloss and Zel's house last year, he and Sano hadn't had much time together, but occasionally they'd meet to play pool. They had all come 'prepared for action' to the must-see musical.

* * *

Scene Three

The musical background track changed indicating a lighter mood was coming up. Xelloss stepped out from behind a tree, appearing suddenly in the road. "I'm afraid that little trinket isn't what you're looking for."

Zelgadiss frowned. "I have never met you before. You couldn't possibly know what my business is with these people, and it doesn't concern you anyway!"

"Oh! But I do!" Xelloss chirped merrily. From out of nowhere, it seemed, he produced a small book and waved it in the air.

"Hey!" Lina shouted. "Where did you get that from? That's mine!"

Xelloss smiled benignly and continued, "This contains some very interesting spells, but it's not for you!"

"My _cure_! _Give_ that to me!" Zelgadiss demanded.

With a puff of smoke and some well-practiced slight-of-hand, the book disappeared from Xelloss hand.

"Wha...!" Zel gasped moments before unleashing his ire, while Lina's face turned pink as she sputtered, "N-no!"

With a coy smile, Xelloss added fuel to the fire, "Oopsie! Well, as I said, it didn't have what you wanted."

That didn't matter either. For a few frenzied minutes, both Zel and Lina threw fits while Xelloss calmly looked on.

"Ah, hello. I'm Gourry Gabriev." Gourry used the moment to introduce himself to the stranger.

"And you may call me Xelloss, the Mysterious Priest. Don't let the name fool you, though; you can trust me."

Stopping her tantrum long enough to hear that, Lina looked the smiling man over. "Oh?"

Zel snorted, "Never!"

Xelloss face fell in disappointment. "Oh my..."

"I think you hurt his feelings, Miss Lina...Mr. Zelgadiss." Amelia turned to Xelloss. "Help us fight for what is **right** and for **justice** and_ earn _our **trust**!"

"That doesn't sound like the Lina Inverse _I've_ been looking for," Zel muttered.

Lina looked a bit embarrassed, "Well ah... I'm not really all good or that bad, really..."

Xelloss brightened however. "Wonderful! Then I'll begin with some news. Although that book was of no importance to you ('...but full of oodles of dangerous spells I couldn't possibly let fall into your hands...'– he directed to the audience), I do know of another book of interest."

"You do? Where? Where?" Lina demanded, then backed off and tried her fool-proof, 'cute-girl' act. "Oh, please Mister Priest, tell me where to find that marvel? Pretty please?"

With a killer smile, Xelloss replied, "There's a shrine on the outskirts of Ridkou Village. I believe you'll find what you are looking for in there."

"All _right!_" Lina shouted triumphantly. "And it's on the way to Atlas City!"

"In that case," Xelloss removed his wrist bands and gaudy belt clasp. "You'd better take these talismans..."

"Ruby spell amplifiers!" Lina cried out. She clawed them out of his hands and slipped them on before he changed his mind.

"What's the price for them?" Zel asked.

"Nothin'! You heard him! He's givin' them to me!" she insisted.

"Well, I might exact a _small_ fee..." Xelloss purred as he moved in on her and kissed her.

Lina turned red as one of the gems. Again, that 'kiss' was not scripted. He was supposed to speak the line as an aside to the audience!

The crowd applauded with verve and chanted, "More! MORE!"

"Come on, let's go!" Gourry shouted, usurping Lina's line.

"Ah, sure!" she agreed and took off with Gourry right behind her.

But when Amelia started to thank the nice priest, he was no where to be seen. "That's odd. He was here just a minute ago," she wondered, but not for long. She had to run to catch up with the others.

They exited stage left and the curtain lowered for the next act amid murmurs and applause from the audience. Most of the people watching recognized the funny parallels between the characters on stage and the real Slayers band members. Xelloss was a tease, especially toward Zel and Lina, while Amelia wanted to right the wrongs of the world. Lina was greedy and self-centered, but Gourry was the opposite, like a balm to her roughness. The parody was just close enough to be funny...

* * *

Next time, Act three...

From the Authors:

**_Eighty-eight new illustrations for the High Jinx Stories!_**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx, Summer Special, and NEXT. Pictures for other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 45.


	46. The Musical: Act Three and an Intermissi...

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 46**

The Musical: Act Three and an Intermission

The worst solitude is to be destitute of sincere friendship. – Sir Francis Bacon

**

* * *

Act Three The first battles, the first victories**

**Scene One**

On their way to a shrine high above Ridkou Village, the uneasy companions had to pass through some rocky badlands. The set was simple; lofty mountains painted in far-distant perspective and plain rock-strewn foreground. A couple of bright white and yellow spotlights gave a good impression of oppressive heat.

Here, they collected another tag-along, a shrine priestess named Sylphiel. Her story in song was a sad one. Without family or a shrine to call her own, the young lady was hoping to gain support from another more prosperous Shrine to re-build the one which had been destroyed. The tale of the terrible priest who's soul had been consumed by a monster and driven by the resulting madness to extinguish himself and her city, struck a hauntingly familiar cord.

At the close of the solo, Amelia asked in a slightly wavering voice, "You were born in Sairaag, Miss Sylphiel?"

Zel crossed his arms over his chest and looked dour, knowing the answer.

"Why yes? It's such a small town, do you know it?" Sylphiel asked.

"Of course! I'm the Princess of Seyruun and am well-versed in the history and geography of our continent. But that's not what I was thinking about just now. You see, Mr. Zelgadiss, here was telling us about his..."

Zelgadiss interrupted Amelia abruptly. "The Red Priest...did this to me. He was my grandfather." He revealed his scarred face to the shocked girl.

Of course, in reality Xelloss' father was the power behind Zel's accident, but Lina thought that would add too much complexity to the musical version at this point. Actually, she ran the first version of the script past Gourry figuring that if he could understand it, then she'd be in the clear. Since he got snagged by the forest of intertwined family trees, Lina had decided to do a bit of pruning. 'Artistic license', she called it.

"The one w-who killed my family...took away my home!" Sylphiel gasped.

"So it seems," Zel remarked coldly.

"We're going to a Ridkou Village Shrine to find his cure and deliver a government contact and strengthen Miss Lina's spells and...and...give Gourry a purpose. We can petition the priesthood for help for your cause as well!" Amelia announced joyfully.

"Just what we need, more little girls," Zelgadiss frowned. "I'm going alone. I'll have better luck finding what I want without an entourage."

The audience was chuckling at his long-familiar reticence to be a joiner. The chuckles grew louder as Lina played out another one of the behaviors she was famous for.

"Oh no you don't, buster!" Lina grappled him into submission with her well-known strangle-hold. "You are travelin' with us, like it or not. We're all in this together. Remember, that cure of yours is in the same book that I want."

All five kids ended up migrating from a tussle to a jovial musical number about mutual support to achieve goals, with Zel joining in, reluctantly, for the final verse.

"Ummmm...Hey, Lina! Isn't that some kindova shrine thingee up ahead?" Gourry asked shading his eyes with a hand and concentrating on an imaginary view off stage...

"Where? Whoa, you got some sharp eyes to see anything that far away," Lina remarked accompanied by a hard smack on Gourry's back. "Come on! I was thinkin' it was up in the mountains, but this is a lot more convenient. Maybe this is the place Xelloss meant after all!"

Not to let Lina get her hands on the prize book first, Zelgadiss sped off with the others.

**

* * *

Scene Two**

"Well? So...which one do you think it is?" Lina looked at the mostly painted backdrop of tall stacks of endless-looking bookcases filled floor-to-ceiling with identical-looking books.

"There's so many," Sylphiel wailed. "We can't read them all!"

"We have to try!" Amelia told her, as if she were trying to convince herself it was true as well. "At least until Miss Lina or Mr. Zelgadiss think of a faster way." To set a good example, she pulled out a text from the only real case on stage and opened it. "I can't understand a word in this!"

Zel and Lina weren't having any better luck. "There must be a clue to unlocking this code. If we can figure that out we can translate these," Zel muttered as he started searching desperately for anything that looked different.

"You raise a valid point," came a disembodied voice. Xelloss stepped out from behind the real bookcase.

"Xelloss!" Lina shouted. She had him (a tad more roughly than necessary) by the collar in a spilt second. "'Bout time you showed up! This is the right place, RIGHT? Which one is the book we want?"

"Oooouch!" Xelloss moaned until she stopped shaking him, but she'd not freed him. "I came as soon as I could. And, yes, you found the place, but I am afraid that what you want could be in any one of them."

Before Lina could strangle the priest, Amelia stopped her. "Please! Maybe he knows how to read them. Maybe there's an index!"

Lina instantly relaxed her grip on Xelloss. "Oh yeah..."

Xelloss smiled and said, "You can't keep your hands off me, can you?"

Now, that wasn't in the script, but it could have been. A flutter of laughter circulated the playhouse as Lina blushed...right on cue, her look murderous. As was Gourry's expression as he stood flexing his fingers dangerously. He reckoned he was stationed close enough to crush Xelloss' skull with his hands... He had overheard Xelloss offer to take Lina someplace- him and his damn fortune! The thought of Lina traveling abroad and alone with the other guy made his blood boil.

That's when Zangalus made his entrance, costumed once again as the monster Lord Gaav, with another of Jillas' controlled explosions masking his arrival and bringing the audience to its feet yelping in surprise.

"Geesh!" Lina waved away some lingering smoke. Xelloss began to issue her a warning, but she continued on talking to Gaav as if he were just another bandit competing over treasure. "We found this place first, so unless ya wanna messy territorial fight with Lina Inverse, you'd better head back the way ya came.

Zangalus-as-Gaav looked astonished, then frowned. "I am the Demon Dragon Lord Gaav and this is my kingdom. It is you, Lina Inverse, who's leaving...but first..."

"A-a monster! He's a MONSTER!" Sylphiel interrupted him with her shrill cry. Her courage faltered momentarily.

"You bet he is..." Gourry mumbled in so low a voice only Zel heard him. "The both of 'em..."

Gaav whipped around and slapped Sylphiel to silence. "Tell me why you travel with _him._" He leveled a curious look down at Xelloss.

"Him? The priest-guy?" Lina shrugged her shoulders still unimpressed by the monster lord. "He's on his own. He's not important. It's me you gotta worry about!"

"_And _him...too..." Gourry grumbled more.

Zelgadiss elbowed him in the ribs and frowned slightly to shut him up_. What was bugging Gourry anyway?_

Gaav-Zangalus chuckled, "Then you do not know who he is? Ha! Xelloss is a very powerful, high level monster!" He thought this was terribly ironic– these humans being lead around by their noses... by a monster, unbeknownst to them!

The tense moment was interrupted when Martina arrived on the scene, tripping over a set piece, catching her foot in a loop of cable, and falling into the distracted Gourry, nearly taking him down with her. The audience roared at the slapstick routine, which appeared to be well scripted... only it hadn't been intentional.

It had drawn everyone's attention off Xelloss, everyone but Gaav-Zangalus. He appeared to pound Xelloss about the head and chest demanding that he disclose his superior's commands and his motives for following Lina. Xelloss was putting up no fight and returned his flippant, patented reply, "I was curious about the purpose behind those orders too, but you see... It's a secret!" He also warned Zangalus to curb his enthusiasm and lighten up a bit in a very low whisper, "That last hit connected..."

Having been tended to by Amelia, Sylphiel now checked on Martina. "Are you all right?" she asked, helping the flustered girl to her feet.

"What's important is that I found you at last, Lina Inverse, destroyer of dreams!" Martina screamed at Lina as she brushed off Sylphiel's kind overtures. "I've been chasing that flat-chested, little sorceress, Lina Inverse for weeks! It was she who destroyed my castle home, and now I'm going to get even!"

"Flat-chested...?" Lina growled. That...was not in the script either!

The music soared and Martina raised her voice in song...a song that told of her sad trials in life. How Martina loved the spotlight! Thankfully, hers was a nice singing voice to listen to, not like her nasal, obnoxious speaking tone.

When the final notes ended, Xelloss waited out the applause then said, "Miss Lina, I urge you to get out of here."

The recommendation had barely escaped his lips, before Gaav-Zangalus began pounding him senseless again.

"That's enough of that!" Lina shouted and countered with an attack on Gaav to free Xelloss. She chanted a spell and shouted, "**_Fireball!_**"

More smoke and sparks dazzled the audience as Xelloss made his escape from Gaav's grip. "Run for it!" he shouted as he led the way off stage.

Lina slumped after the expenditure of energy, but before she could pretend to shake it off and run off stage, Gourry swept her off her feet. Beaming with pride, he said, "We'll move faster this way until you're stronger!"

Lina, shocked to the core by his impromptu act, simply nodded as he carried her off. The audience cheered their approval, "Way ta go Gourry!"

The bookcase sets were whisked off and the earlier craggy rock sets were wheeled in to prepare for the next scene–- Gaav's territory.

**

* * *

Scene Three**

"It's too bad that shrine with all the books got destroyed by Gaav before we had a chance to learn its secrets. Then the next was such a let-down," Amelia sighed.

"Okay, so that last little shrine wasn't the right place either. What can I say? They all look alike to me," Lina said.

"It's okay, Miss Lina. At least Sylphiel found someone to listen to her. Maybe she'll convince the high priest there to invest in Sairaag."

"I wouldn't count on it, Amelia," Zel said dryly. "In the end she'll find that if she wants the place restored, she'll have to do it herself and not expect assistance from the priesthood."

"More importantly, we lost Martina!" Well, it _was_ more important to Lina. "That's two fewer mouths to feed."

"But we regained...him," Zel gave a nod Xelloss' way.

"Shoulda lost him too," Gourry muttered under his breath.

"Hey, Xelloss!" Lina called over to the smiling young priest. "You're sure this cave is the place?"

"Yes. I'm afraid I am prohibited from entering, but you can, if you're quick about it." Xelloss seemed preoccupied. "This opening is sealed against us monsters by a dragon spell. Hurry, our presence has been detected."

Sure enough, Martina had caught up to the group.

"Great. I thought I'd dodged her good back in the village," Lina growled.

"Now she's got some poor kid with her," Zel sighed.

Miwan stumbled on stage dragged along by a wild-eyed Martina. "Found you!" she shouted, panting to catch her breath. "Good thing for me that I found this kid who knew the way up here."

Except for the longer hair, Miwan was a dead ringer for Phibrizzo. It was uncanny how much he resembled him, dressed in a pair of two-toned blue bicycle shorts and a shirt similar to the real Phibrizzo boy.

"Who's the kid?" Lina asked.

But before she got her answer, two creatures appeared and attacked Amelia, who had been standing off alone. "Ahh!" She cried out a quick incantation and Jillas, dressed in a ghoulish mask, triggered a few sparks.

Gravos made horrible noises, which were somewhat muffled by his grotesque latex mask, and waddled around like a...lame duck. Above, lights flickered in a variable-speed strobe effect simulating more explosions from the monsters' spells.

"Amelia!" Zel shouted as he rushed to her side.

She had managed to lose her balance, but Zel, being fleet of foot, caught her in his arms. He shifted her to one arm and drew his sword. By this time Gravos skidded on the same wet spot that had caused Amelia's fall, and he reeled around.

From the audience's point of view, it appeared that Zelgadiss or Amelia had attacked him with a spell. "You're the man, Zel!" shouted a few in the crowd while others applauded.

Amelia and Zel exchanged bemused glances. It was all either of them could do not to burst out laughing.

"Better go now, Lina. We'll hold them off," Gourry assured her as he somehow remembered to say his lines and unsheathe his sword simultaneously.

Lina nodded, spun on a heel, and disappeared into the cave. Martina sneaked around the inattentive Gourry and the preoccupied Xelloss, dipped past the cave opening, and chased after Lina.

John- the lead monster, Seygram, this time- roared out an attack spell as he jumped out from behind a spray-painted Styrofoam rock. Xelloss countered by striking at him with his staff. The spell missed, apparently, as did Xelloss' blow, but not the next time. He lunged forward, seeming to drive the staff through John-Seygram, pinning him to the ground. Another explosion and Seygram was defeated.

By now, the audience was getting caught up in the action. They reacted mostly with cheers for the Slayers and jeers for the villains. It looked liked it might turn out to be an audience participation event one way or the other.

In the meantime, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadiss had slain the Jillas and Gravos duo. Amelia was holding her left arm close to her chest and both Zel and Gourry were limping.

"Did we get them all?" Zel asked.

Gourry nodded, "All but Xelloss."

"But he's fighting on our side, isn't he?" Amelia reminded them both.

"So?" Gourry asked.

This was another departure from the script. It took both Amelia and Zel's quick wits to get the dialogue back on track.

"B-but it would be wrong...unjust of us to turn against a friend who's helping us!" she cried out.

"For now, but never forget that he is a monster too," Zel said, hoping Gourry would shut up now.

But he had one last word to get in. "Yeah, he can't be trusted," Gourry warned them, all the while glaring in Xelloss' direction.

Just then, Lina bounded out of the cave shouting, "I've got it!" But before anything more could be said about her acquisition, Gaav reappeared. "You _again!_" she shouted in disgust.

"**_Fireball!_**" Lina shot off a spell, which Jillas augmented with more smoke and flashes. Dismayed to find the man still standing, Lina shouted at Xelloss, "Don't just _stand _there!"

"I _really_ shouldn't be doing this..." Xelloss began lamely. His eyes flitted back and forth between the younger boy Martina had brought with her and Lina. "Use those amplifiers with your strongest attack, Lina!"

"NO!" she shouted. Lina turned toward the audience and entered into a soliloquy. "In the cave I learned the final part of the most powerful spell there is, but I also learned that using it tags on a pretty steep price. Should it go out of control, it would destroy the world! I don't wanna do a thing like that, not only would it be the end of my beauteous self and my magnificent future, but it would augment the goals of the Monster race, which is to return the world to a state of chaos and total disorder. No, now that I know the spell, I must find another way to put an end the monster's that get in my way."

This turned into her solo number—full of determination and spirit to rally the troops.

"Rrrrah!" Gourry drove forward, sword-first at the monster lord. Zangalus-Gaav flung out an arm, sending him head-first into a rock wall set. Gourry remembered not to actually hit the set which would buckle under his weight, and instead, just shake, droop, and slide to the floor. He had practiced it enough to make it look convincing.

Zelgadiss and Amelia recited spells and shot off a barrage of light attacks, keeping the light-effects person and Jillas busy.

Xelloss launched a desperate attack of his own to protect Lina, taking Gaav's retaliation full-force. He collapsed to the floor left to creep off under a veil of artificial smoke.

"He killed Mr. Xelloss!" Amelia cried out moments before taking a hit herself. "Achhh..."

Zelgadiss flew to her aid again, but this time he was knocked flat by Gaav's attack before he reached her. "Oooof!"

"He's gonna kill us too, if I can't get these spells off in time!" Lina snapped.

Unfortunately, Gaav-Zangalus was on her before she could finish her incantation. All would soon be lost!

"**_Watch out Lina! "_** someone shouted from the audience as he noticed Gaav about to skewer her with his sword.

"That's right! You have fought your last battle!" Gaav roared.

"No! You have. You, the betrayer of the Monster race...defecting to create your own demon horde."

"Huh?" Gaav now noticed the boy who had been hiding behind a rock with Martina. "YOU!"

"Recognize me now? I'm Demon Lord Hellmaster Phibrizzo, and you, the renegade Gaav, are in the way and possibly ruining everything. So...you must die!" Then Miwan-as-Phibrizzo simply snapped his fingers and Gaav went up in a puff of smoke. Demon-monster death, Jillas style.

There was a momentary sigh of relief, but then the boy gazed down from atop his rock perch and grinned. "My work's not done, however!"

Amelia was still cradling Zel's limp form and Gourry was barely moving. Lina hadn't the energy to fend off another attack and Martina was frozen in horror. Doom was upon them!

"I can see you are in no shape to carry on, so we'll take this a bit further and finish it later. Let's see...how can I ensure we'll meet up?" Phibrizzo-Miwan's eyes settled on Gourry, where Lina was huddling near his battered body protectively. "He will have to do."

"Don't touch him!" Lina shouted.

The action slowed, a driving beat grew in volume and Lina and the Slayers launched into a motivational 'fight to the end' number, for a change of pace. But when the last of the harp and guitar cords faded away, the spot light was back on Phibrizzo and the captured Gourry.

"We will meet again, Lina Inverse...In Sairaag. Don't be too long in coming!" The boy cackled like a kid possessed, grabbed Gourry and, in another puff of smoke and a great deal of help from Gourry himself, disappeared off stage.

"Gourry!" Lina cried out. "Gooooooour-reeeeee! Don't go! COME BAAAAACK! Nooooo!"

And with that dramatic ending, the curtain fell. The crowd applauded energetically, while behind the scenes, Luke rolled in a fan to clear the air and Lee dragged sets around. This next scene, the last for Act 3, was more elaborate than the others. Val and Filia helped move the elevated dais and luminous blue-green backdrops into position. The set fit together carefully with interlocking parts so that it would be stable though all the upcoming activity. Jillas positioned his explosive special effects and Gourry checked them.

Miwan took his seat on up on the dais and gave the lighting expert a 'thumbs up' sign. Val hopped up to test the 'holding cells' and fit Gourry into one of them.

"Comfy?" he grinned.

"Yeah," he smiled in return. "But by the time I get outta this, my hands'll be numb."

Filia guided a foreground curtain which would hide this set from view at first. It was painted to look like a door in a stone-clad wall. She ran around front between it and the curtain to see that it was placed properly. Yes. Lastly, she dashed back to inquire of Val and Jillas if they were ready. All was _A-okay_. That done, Filia rushed to get into her costume. She loved her diaphanous golden dress and veil, and was thrilled when Zel told her she could keep it when the musical was over. They cleared the stage, signaled Bobby at the curtains 'Okay!', and the curtain rose on...

**

* * *

Scene Four**

The scene opened with Zelgadiss and Lina studying the lock on the 'door'. Amelia and Gourry were greeting both Zangalus 'So we meet again...' and Sylphiel 'I'm sorry the Ridkou priests wouldn't help you.'

"I got past everything but the last code. Don't blast it with a spell, Lina, or we may never get past this enchanted door!" Zelgadiss warned her.

"I wasn't! Gimme some space here. I'm gonna try." She pushed him aside and chanted the magic spell, "**_Go_****_ to Hell!_**' " and the curtain-door lifted to reveal the cavernous room beyond.

Phibrizzo's lair was breathtaking. The audience gasped collectively at the shimmering grotto-like set. This was one of Xelloss' big song and dance numbers, although he was in disguise. He had been involved in choreographing the movements to the music background in order to make the entire scene as surreal as Lina had said it had been in reality. Lina's vision had been to demonstrate Xelloss' important 'behind the scenes' involvement, while at the same time telling the story of what, in essence, had happened to them.

So, as each of the companions defied Phibrizzo and attempted to free the magically restrained Gourry, Xelloss, in costume but masked and seemingly invisible to the others, transferred the living people to their limbo deaths, shrouding them in pale netting. Was he acting of his own volition or just following orders or was he entrapped by Phibrizzo as well? It was hard to say, but the audience was entranced by the singing and dance of death.

Lina was last. In her song she teetered back and forth, should she attempt the spell to free her friends or not? She had no choice; in the end she would succeed– she could not fail! Her song ended in an extended incantation calling on the power of the Lord of Nightmares, creator of all...dragons, monsters, and humankind.

Would she be successful? The music dove into the minor key signaling failure but...

A vision of beauty in shimmering gold appeared to float to Lina's side on a cloud. Yes, Lina did get one of her friends to fly, kinda. The tiny platform, disguised with globs of polyester pillow stuffing and glitter, had just enough room for Filia to stand, holding onto the fine cables for support for dear life.

"The Creator! The Lord of Nightmares!" Phibrizzo cried out.

"Yes, and you Hellmaster will not take her or these others."

"B-But I must...I shall!" He screamed, his insanity completely taking over his mind.

"No. You must return to the void from which you are all brought into existence."

"No...NO!" he screamed again, over and over...but in a burst of light, he was destroyed.

Xelloss, his mask removed, knelt at her feet, "My Lord and Mistress of all..."

"Free them all, then leave. Go back where you belong," Filia-as-the LofN commanded him.

"As you wish. But what of Lina Inverse? What will you have me do with her?"

"Nothing. Her life is mine. Now go..."

Xelloss nodded and regained his feet. In a graceful dance, he visited each of the company in turn, removing their enchanted containments. He paused by Lina last. His eyes traveled over her lithe form, hesitating on her lips. He raised a hand and smoothed a few red curls around a finger.

"Ooooooh, go for it!" cried out a few kids from the peanut gallery, which set off a plethora of wolf-whistles and 'whoops'.

Xelloss smiled. He picked up her hand and stroked it gently, enticing it to curl against his cheek. "You...had so much promise," he said, and then kissed her lightly on the back of her hand and left the stage before Lina could wallop him for yet another digression.

The moment he left, Lina's comrades all awoke and started shouting in joy at their restoration.

"What's wrong with Lina? And who is that lady?" Gourry asked, pointing to the LofN. "Hey! Where are ya goin'? Stop! Hey! You can't take her!"

Zelgadiss and Amelia jumped up. "That's right! Stop! Lina stays here!"

The LofN shook her head and lead the silent, dazed Lina to her platform. "The power of the spell consumed her. Now she is a part of me and must depart."

"No...NO! COME BACK! LIIIIIINA!" Gourry fought through a shower of falling golden streamers to get at Lina.

"Where did he go? I can't see Lina or Gourry!" Amelia cried out.

"The Lord of Nightmares has taken them both. Lina died saving him and now he will die to save her," Zel explained dramatically.

"But that's just so..._unfair and horrible!"_ Amelia shouted and stamped her foot.

"Well, maybe he will save her and they will both return. Never know," Zel said and with the others, backed off stage.

The lights concentrated on Gourry as he reached his goal and swept Lina into his arms. "She's mine and I'm taking her back!" he declared to the golden goddess. He looked down deeply into Lina's closed eyes, and said, "Lina...it's me Gourry...wake up...wake up...Ya gotta be okay. Ya just gotta. You see, _I love you_."

And if that admission hadn't caused a gasp of consternation throughout the hall, his next action did. Lina's eyes flew open. _Did he just say what I think he said?_

And much to everyone's amazement, Gourry leaned over and kissed her tenderly. Then, unable to contain himself, he poured all his passion into the deepening kiss.

Filia tugged on the cable, 'get me out of here!', and rose away and out of sight, leaving the embracing couple alone on stage. Then the lighting changed the music became joyous. Sylphiel, Amelia and Zelgadiss reappeared on stage walking slowly and talking together. "Look! It's Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry...I think..."

Lina immediately pushed apart from Gourry's hug and punched him hard, "What do you think you were doing!" she yelled.

"Yes...yes it is," Zel returned with a smirk.

"I was just...makin' sure you were all right," Gourry was trying to say.

"I'm fine, can't you see that!" Lina regaled him to some more punishment as she vented her anger and embarrassment.

"Oh! Then everything turned out okay!" Amelia exclaimed.

"Hey...what are you guys gaping at?" Lina turned her ire onto the other three voyeurs.

"I think we'd better go and leave them alone," Amelia advised.

"What did you say? What was that?" Lina hollered.

"Run!" Zel squeaked and took off with everyone at his heels.

The curtain lowered and the audience clapped, cheered, and whistled noisily. Then the curtain parted a ways and Val passed through, carrying a large sign. This he flipped around and then placed in a holder to the side of the stage. The sign read: **I N T E R M I S S I O N**, in glowing spray paint. He gave a little bow and stalked back stage.

Now, _Lina's _musical had its humor, gore, action, and suspense, but romance was at a bare minimum, or less. The audience, as they often do when something they desire is missing, filled in-between the lines. Every companionable moment, eye-to-eye or flesh-to-flesh or glove-to-sleeve contact, was construed to imply some form of love interest. Reality confused with fantasy. Or...was it the other way around?

**

* * *

Intermission**

Next time, we begin at the intermission...

From the Authors:

**_New illustrations for the High Jinx Stories! _**

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx, Summer Special, and NEXT. Pictures for other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 46.


	47. The Musical: Intermission and Act Four

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 47 **

The Musical: Intermission and Act Four

"When you look through plain glass, you see people, but if you cover it with silver, you stop seeing others and see only yourself." —Ancient Proverb

* * *

Now, _Lina's _musical had its humor, gore, action, and suspense, but romance was at a bare minimum, or less. The audience, as they often do when something they desire is missing, filled in-between the lines. Every companionable moment, eye-to-eye or flesh-to-flesh or glove-to-sleeve contact, was construed to imply some form of love interest. Reality confused with fantasy. Or...was it the other way around?

Well, the _real_ part of _Real-_ity was about to hit the _fan_ part of _Fan-_tasy...

Intermission

The minute they were safely out of earshot of the audience, Lina lashed out at Xelloss and Gourry. "Okay, you two. If I find out you got some kinda bet going on, I'm gonna pound your brains into pate...which reminds me...AMELIA!"

"I've got the snacks right here, Miss Lina, and drinks in the cooler!" Amelia said in a timely manner.

Lina dove for a doughnut, declaring it, "Cool!"

"Milk?" Gourry tossed her a carton.

"Uh, sure..." Lina decided to drop the topic. For the time being... (slurp)...in light of... (chomp, chomp)...alternative things to... (gulp)...do.

"What makes you think anything's going on?" Unfortunately, Xelloss decided to keep the hot topic on the front burner. "We were just appealing to the audience by spicing things up a bit, right Gourry?"

Gourry wouldn't meet his eyes. Some things were better left unsaid, including most of what was going through his mind at the moment, like 'dooooo-nut.'

"What are you guys talking about?" Filia asked. Having spent most of her time backstage helping out, she had missed the latest competition for Lina's heart.

"What's going _on_? You're curious about _what's going on_? I'd like to know _what was going on_, too. All I _know_ is that I've been kissed more in the last_ hour_ than in the previous _year_, and it wasn't in the script," Lina snapped.

Gourry was concentrating on his next doughnut, conveniently out of the discussion.

So... Amelia filled in, "Both Mr. Xelloss and Mr. Gourry kissed Miss Lina **on stage** in front of EVERYBODY! It was so romantic... You could hear the crowd really getting into it."

"I want them to get into the _story_! I want them to _get_ the monster/syndicate thing, dammit!"

"There you are!"

Lina spun around, the color draining from her face at the same time. "L-Luna! Milgasia?"

"We would have gotten here sooner, but we wanted to wait around for our man's breakdown and his complete tale," Luna smiled. "Musical's moving along nicely, I take it?"

Lina just nodded mutely.

"Who let you backstage?" Zelgadiss asked warmly as he strode to greet them.

"Must have been my persuasive personality," Luna matched him smirk for smirk.

Val and Xelloss closed in. Xelloss asking, "Slate, you interrogated him?"

"Did he do it? Why?" Val asked excitedly.

"Mister _Slate?_" Amelia couldn't recall where she'd heard his name before.

"Do we have time to go into this now?" Milgasia inquired of Lina.

"Yeah, sure. The longer the break the more refreshments we sell. Spill it."

Luna ripped through a short genealogy of Milgasia's family for the benefit of Amelia, and then briskly touched on the key elements of her big news. "While helping me sort and review some of that data you all..._recovered_...last summer, Xelloss decoded and opened some previously-thought-to-be-damaged files. We... uncovered a clan-syndicate tie to steal all the ancient lands wealth resources."

"Wow!" Lina caught Val's eyes. "Close call, huh?"

"Yeah, which is why I wanted to search that lookout place to find some sub-stan-she-a-shun. Mil and I located the old building on some really old maps, and..."

"Val, you're talking about that place you took me for Valentine's Day, right?" Filia asked. "Then that box I found contained the evidence for all this? What about Mrs. Saunders?"

"I'll get to her," Val settled Filia down with a smile, and then continued. "Yuh see, Xelloss and Zel de-cod-ed most of the records from the box that fell outta the bed..."

Sylphiel jabbed at Filia teasingly, "You didn't tell me you guys were, like, fooling around up there."

"Huh? Oh...NO! Nothing like that. Oh, shut up, Sylphiel!" Filia ended with a grin and both girls started giggling, both hanging on one of Val's arms.

"Getting back to my story..." Val raised his voice to stifle their silliness. "Ah, shit, Zel you tell it. They'll listen to you."

"All right, but I'll just tell it once, so if you're interested..." Zel closed his eyes and waited until the tittering had ceased. "Good. What we understood from the deciphered text, verified the clan-syndicate tie Luna and Xelloss had discovered. It was more recent than they had supposed. We also did the finger print checks. That's how we found out that Mrs. Saunders had owned the safety box you found. Of course it had been stolen from her, but she was more than happy to play the 'bad guy' and pretend to be caught," Zelgadiss explained until he was out of breath.

Val nodded. "Yeah, she was our di-ver-sion. Once word got out that we weren't lookin' for the snoop, the guy sent word via our mole, Jillas... hey Jil! Ah, guess he's gotta go to the john. Anyway, we made like we were leakin' stuff and Jillas passed the com-yu-ni-kay the dude wrote to the syn-di-cate back to us and we fed back instructions to the mystery dude. See, we still didn't know who it was; we couldn't trace him. So, we dummied up some dir-ec-shuns and told the dude to go back up to the lookout and get back to work." Val grinned. "The asshole did, and McGywn and his posse were waitin' for him."

Getting restless from an excess of adrenalin and his ADD condition, which was currently one-hundred-percent-unmedicated, made waiting for the 'telling' almost too much for Xelloss to stand. "So? So so so so so? What was Slate up to?" he asked urgently.

Luna put a hand on his shoulder, "Steady, boy, and I'll tell you."

Lina wondered at that. He calmed noticeably under her care. His breathing slowed and his busy hands steadied. An almost serene expression graced his face. Lina guessed that her sister must have found some secret 'off button' pressure point near his neck, and decided that would a useful trick to earn.

"Okay, Knight," Xelloss sighed contentedly.

"Would you like a turn at this?" Luna deferred to Milgasia. It was his brother-in-law, after all.

"Ah...well it seems Slate's link with the syndicate was very, let's say, weak. Mostly, he just wanted to establish that there was a leak and that it was my clan, making me responsible. Why me, you ask? Because his plan was to ruin my reputation then unseat me in order to take over the clan. All that so he could get his hands on the Ancient lands. Apparently, he was under the false notion– as were all the clans and the syndicate too, I suppose-- that I had control of Val's Ancient Clan inheritance. In fact, he said that it is largely accepted that I was and am currently the overseer of his land grants and resources, AND that I've withheld power and financial returns from Val." Milgasia smiled and shook his head.

"That ain't true," Val assured everybody. "But he ad-vises me and..." Val's turn to sport a knowing grin, "...we drew up a bunch of bogus papers makin' it look like I gave most of my stuff up to Mil. So folks would leave me alone. Guess it worked."

"And backfired on Milgasia," Luna noted. "To Slate's credit, he wasn't the slimeball I took him for at first. Although he was working with the syndicate in a way, he didn't turn over any information of consequence to them. Also, he wasn't going about it in a way that would have gotten Val kicked out of the clan and his inheritance confiscated. The worst thing I can think of that he did was to compromise the security of the clan."

"Why was Slate using Jillas?" Amelia asked.

"Mine, mine, mine!" Xelloss claimed his turn to share. "Both Jillas and Gravos were small-time jobbers for the syndicate, especially in summer. Remember last summer? They were on the Ancient territory and found Val before us. That's when Slate learned of them. Once they were working the area, word got out and they would have been chased off, but then we got there and...well...they left when we did, saving the clan out there the trouble. Now, Slate and others knew about the Ancient Clan inheritance sitting there waiting. And, with no survivors to control it all, he and his cronies of clan leaders out that way were the default owners."

Xelloss bowed to Val dramatically and went on, "Val, Val, Val...When they learned about you... whoosh! Bye, bye Easy Street! When Milgasia was recovering from his broken legs in the hospital, he met his wife-to-be– who, I must put in here, was the only person in that entire territory who showed me any kindness. Anyway, he was trying to drum up some help from the locals to unearth, so to speak, Val, and that's when they learned of Val's existence."

"Yes," Milgasia inserted, "She was like an angel then...still is..." He cleared his throat with embarrassment. He wasn't a man to emote like that. "Unfortunately, when word got out about Val, Slate and his colleagues assembled and formulated a plan, the plan which has now been foiled."

"There are changes in the clan hierarchy occurring at this very moment," Luna added. "And more to come. The repercussions from this will take a long time to unfold all the intrigues, I am certain of it."

"Five more minutes! Oh...you have company. Hello, I'm Daniel Grauscherra, Seyruun high School principal, and you are...?"

"Luna Inverse, Lina's sister and the Knight of Cephied. Nice place."

"Knight of...? Oh, yes, very nice. Plenty of space," He shook her hand and smiled in a friendly manner, and then his eyes roved over to the other stranger.

Luna stared at him. _This is the current leadership of the syndicate? I believe we have won the war..._

"Milgasia, Cephied Believers Clan leader. Nice to meet you at last. Xelloss has mentioned the good job you've been doing at the school."

"He has? Well, I have been enjoying it there. Nice town, Seyruun is...further south than I'm used to."

"Northern boy, eh?" Luna asked. She could swear he didn't know what her position stood for!

"That's right. I was feeling a bit, well, trapped up north. When I heard of this job opening, I jumped at the chance..."

So did Luna. "How _did_ you hear about the job opening?"

"Teaching Administrator's newsletter. Lists them all. Last spring, this position came up. The principal had died in an accident..."

"You are aware that was Xelloss' mother?"

"Oh yes, he told me about that. Sad loss."

"No it wasn't," Luna corrected him. "She wasn't dead; She was hiding."

"No...?" Daniel glanced over to Xelloss. "What happened then?"

Luna rolled her eyes. What Lina had told her was right. Either he was a clever actor or a clueless idiot.

"I killed both her and Daddy in one blow last summer! 'Sum-mer tiiiiiime, and the liv-ing is eeeee-zeeeee...'" Xelloss began to sing.

"Not really," Lina muttered. "Uh, so did you ever find your assistant, Sherra?"

"Why yes, I saw her. Funny thing that was too. She was walking off with an older man. Seen him around but don't know his name. He works for you maybe?"

"Rodimus?" Zel asked. "Highly unlikely."

"Could be, but like I said...I don't know his name," Daniel said.

Zel checked his watch, "Lina..."

She nodded, "Uh, that five minutes is about up and some of us need to change clothes, so if you all will excuse us."

Heading the refreshment stand crew were the girls from the sailing club. Bunny, busy with the popcorn machine, didn't notice the tall woman in evening dress enter the building, but her friends Ami and Rei did.

"Pssssst! Rei! Isn't that that Beryl lady from Atlas City?"

"Oh my gods...oh my gods...Bunny over there!" Rei pointed with excitement.

Sure enough, in strode Beryl McQueen, an imposing woman with cascades of chestnut hair and a neckline to her navel, and her quartet of color-coded cronies.

"Cover for me!" Bunny yelled as she knelt down and crawled beneath the table.

"What are you doing down there?" Rei asked her.

"I've got to let the principal know that awful woman is here. He did tell us to be on the look out for any unsavory types."

"But I think he meant kids from gangs and stuff!" Rei hissed under the table.

"Don't bother him, tell Zelgadiss!" But Ami's words fell on deaf ears. Bunny had already located Mr. Grauscherra.

"Subaru? I'd like you to meet a _dear_ friend of mine, Detective Leon Orcot."

"Dear? Hey, we're not that close! What are you doing here anyway? Kinda far from Chinatown for you," the man snorted.

Subaru looked up from his new friend, Count D, to the lanky blonde-haired officer. "Nice to meet you, Detective. Are you here for the show?"

"Nah, I'm on duty. Chief McGywn says there's bound to be trouble here today, but I don't see it."

"Oh, I see a suspicious looking man..." Count D began.

"Where? Where?"

"With the black hair..."

"Who? You don't mean the guy next to the ticket booth, do ya? That's Detective Laytner!" Orcot narrowed his eyes at the Count. "You knew that didn't you? You're just trying to get rid of me...why...? You got some drug deal going down here? Meeting smugglers? Rare animal handlers?"

"Count D has been very kind to bring me here today so that I could watch my friends' performance," Subaru said in D's defense. "You may join us, if you want."

Orcot rolled his eyes. Two of them! Two effeminate weirdoes who talked like they were in some sort of martial arts movie! And this new one with the sad green eyes and empty movements...he acted like someone who'd been witness to a terrible crime, listless and hiding like the kids he'd seen in abuse trials. He wasn't so sure if he liked his number-one suspect hanging around this mystery kid. "Save me a seat. I'll be back!" the detective ordered D and ran off.

"Does he bother you with false accusations all the time?"

"Yes, but he's harmless and fun...at times," Count D smiled and bit into the richly iced brownie he had just bought.

This time, Filia and Val had more central roles to play as the 'dragons of destiny'. It took both Gourry and Xelloss to assist Val into his 'wings' and guide him to his place on the stage. He wasn't in the first scene, but he had to be in position behind the first scene's backdrop in order to speed the transition to scene two.

"It's nice to see them work together," Amelia said.

"Who–? Oh, Xelloss and Gourry, you mean. Yes, as long as Lina's not involved they're fine, but she just brings out the worst in them," Zel sighed.

"And the best, too! Maybe they can all get married someday and share her."

Zel looked at Amelia as if she had sprouted a horn right in the middle of her forehead. It was an odd expression, causing Amelia to burst into laughter. "I was kidding, Zelgadiss!"

He closed his mouth and blushed faintly, "I knew that..." when they were interrupted by Sylphiel.

"Amelia, some cute guy's brought you a treat. Back at the door," she giggled.

"I wonder who?" Amelia smiled and skipped off in search of the mystery boy.

Zel's piercing gaze penetrated the bodies, focusing to a point at the door. Slim and short in stature, long, reddish braid...Duo with his trusty, morose, sidekick Heero. Sender of mushy valentines two years in a row... He decided to move closer to listen in, just in case there was some kind of trouble.

"Hi, Amelia! Hey, you guys are amazing. The music is so cool, the sets...the story's really gripping and funny. I didn't think something Lina would write would have so much...romance in it, though, I mean... especially for her."

"Thank you, Duo. I think Mr. Xelloss and Mr. Gourry are having some fun with the audience. Oooo, is that for me?"

"Um...yeah...we...ah...weren't sure you got anything to eat," he said through a grin, shielding his lilac-colored eyes with his thick long bangs.

"He bought these this morning," Heero clarified, "...whether or not you needed them to eat."

Amelia set the plate of pastries to the side and gave Duo a big Amelia-family-style hug. "Thank you, again for thinking of me. I just love raspberry-filled Danish!"

_She does? _Zel wondered as he watched through narrowed eyes. With a smirky smile he mused on, _I know for a fact that she prefers lemon._

He paid closer attention to what else was enfolding. Zel was deeply pleased to note that both of them were still far shorter than him._ Merely boys in comparison_.

Heero was talking again, urging his friend to action, "Go ahead. She has to go back on stage soon."

Amelia had freed Duo from her clutches, allowing him to gasp for air. "Ah...whew...would you like to go to a movie or something after this? Next week?"

Without a moment of consideration, she replied, "Yes, that sounds fun! Call me tomorrow. My number's in the school directory, okay? So, were you selling tickets earlier?"

Zel shook his head. _What? She said Yes? _Well, he guessed that meant they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend after all. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or disturbed. It took some action on his part to proclaim exclusivity, he concluded, if that's what he wanted, of course. If _she_ wanted that. Who could know? She seemed to want to go out with that guy, Duuuu-o, since she hadn't wasted a second pondering her answer. No struggling with any deep-seated emotional ties for her! On the other hand, he had her private cell phone number and Duo would have to go through the mayor's switchboard to talk to her, _heh, heh_.

"Yeah, and it was completely sold out! I bet we could fill it all over again, if you wanted to do it," Duo said brightly now that he had the ordeal of asking her out of the way.

"It does seem a shame to just throw all these sets away after today," Amelia said wistfully. "Ah, so Heero, are your other friends from GW Tech here too?"

"Yes," he nodded curtly. "Trowa reported that they had spotted an OZ military training truck parked off the main road. Quatre and Wu Fei are canvassing the area for signs of any of the students or instructors."

At the word 'OZ', Zel had nabbed Xelloss and dragged him over to the three kids by the door. Amelia heard Xelloss laughing and turned their way. "Oh good, Zelgadiss... Mr. Xelloss... I don't see Miss Lina, but you all should hear this, too."

Xelloss became serious when Heero directed a question his way, "You are aware of what OZ is, correct?"

Xelloss nodded slowly. "Yes, it began as an administrative division of one of Zelas' syndicate operations, then became a training camp for recruits masquerading as a military-type school for hard-to-handle kids," he explained to the others.

"I get it! Offspring of Zelas: 'O' 'Z' !" Amelia said aloud.

"Shhh!" Xelloss smacked his hand over her mouth. "It's a secret...okay? _Okay?_"

She nodded and his hand dropped.

"Zechs is sitting midway back stage left side. Flowing white hair catches my eye," Xelloss smiled in a confidant manner.

"I thought it was flowing red," Zel muttered to his best friend.

"That too!" Xelloss smiled.

"We will keep watch," Heero assured him. "I will trade seats and get closer, now that the lights are up."

Zelgadiss followed both boys out to sneak a peek at the audience. "Damn..." he growled under his breath.

"What is it?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the feeling of a cool hand on his and the warm body attached to it pressed up to his side.

"You see something bad?" Amelia asked.

"N-not good," he gasped as he got his wits back. "Tiiba's milling around in the center aisle with a horde of shadowy figures I don't recognize."

"Oh no..." she said with dismay. "Should I go tell Miss Lina?"

"No, don't bother her. She doesn't need any more distractions now. I'll let Rodimus know. He'll keep an eye on them."

He was gratified by her look of admiration. "You realize...I know I'm safe, because of you, not Rodimus," she said.

"Excuse me, Zelgadiss?"

Zel turned regretfully from this promising conversation with Amelia to face a far less interesting one, he supposed, with Grauscherra. "What?" he asked in an icy tone.

Amelia looked from one man to the other. Zel was slightly shorter and thinner, but they were very similar in build and face shapes. _Japanese heritage showing through,_ she guessed. _Had Zelgadiss' hair been normal, it might have looked like Mr. Grauscherra's._ _But,_ she sighed_, those matching eyes were the giveaway–- deep, pure, cerulean blue-green–- a family trait._ The principal eye's, however, reflected his current emotional state, which was a combination of confusion and excitation bordering on delirium– or so Amelia thought.

"An excitable young lady working at the refreshment stand just informed me that some dangerous woman...ah...Berry Mc-something...is here. Mean anything to you? Sorry to bother you like this. Usually Miss Sherra's around to ask."

"Xelloss is the one you want. He is familiar with all the lowlife–- by name anyway. Hey, Xelloss!" Zel called out. "Yes, you...no the _other _goofball named Xelloss..."

"I have so much to doooo," Xelloss said breathlessly.

Grauscherra related what Bunny had told him.

"Beryl McQueen? I didn't think we'd be a rich-bitch attraction. Gods, who's next? And, yes, Zel-gaaa-diss, she is a syndicate underling. Oh, there's Lina. I gotta catch her before she goes on stage. Ta, ta!"

"That's Filia you have to catch, don't forget!" Zel said in jest, referring to an upcoming scene with can't-miss timing. Noticing that the other man was still standing close by annoyed him. He turned to the principal and snapped irritably, "Anything else?"

"Have a minute?"

Zel checked his watch. "Just."

"I don't think we've gotten off to such a good start, you and I, seeing as we are family and all. Just found out about it before the show. Lina told me. Thought I knew, I guess." Daniel smiled nervously.

"Considering how I learned about the rest of my family, this is as good a start as any." Zel folded his arms over his chest protectively. "Two years ago, all I had was a surly grandfather. Now, I have an alive, crotchety father, a couple of living uncles-- one certifiable and my step-brother too and the other, well that's where you fit in, right? Let's see...then I have a dead mother, a dead step-mother, and a long dead, crazy homicidal grandfather... So, what's one more bloody, blood-thirsty relation?"

"I see what you mean. You have a father? You've met him?"

"I once even lived with him. Professor Rezo Greywords, chemistry department. Used to be my grandfather...don't ask. The Red Priest, the guy who blew up Sairaag, now _he_ was my actual grandfather."

Daniel's eyed widened, "Oh?"

"What now?"

"Then...that story in the musical... It was real?"

"Substitute the syndicate for the monsters and its close, but you know all this."

"No...no I don't. I had no idea...You are...you really did knock off Gaav and Phibrizzo..."

Zel decided that as long as he was signing his own death warrant, a verbal agreement in this case, then he might as well sign with a flourish. "And Zelas and Darkstar and Kanzel and Gretel too...all right, that was a joke...Mazenda. That leaves just you and some aunty-deep-sea-mammal."

"Me? Oh...deep sea... Dolphin you mean? Um, not her. She's in a sanatorium. Harmless old thing, really. And me, well... haven't we just met?"

"It's easier that way. Believe me; putting away someone you know well is much more painful. Uh, time's up." Zel strapped on his sword and marched onto the stage.

Lina matched his stride. "Ready?"

"Yes, you?"

"You betcha," she gave her best bud a wink.

Moments before, Lina had been busy talking to her friend Tasuki from the Suzaku Seven. The two bands had spent time in August on the road together playing a few gigs, but Tasuki had known Lina way back when she was the toughest kid on the block, and the youngest.

"I gotta tell ya though, Chiriko spotted the guy first, comin' in, but then Nuriko said he could see him gettin' a drink and talkin' on his cell phone in the lobby."

"Yeah? And who'd you say this bad dude was? Nakago?" Lina asked.

"Tall blonde dude. Really works the babes. If he's here, then so's his minions and...well, Xelloss will know 'im, I'll bet. His band played some dirty tricks on us, leavin' the equipment at the place we were playin' at in bad condition and makin' it look like it was our fault. But worse than that, they're...bad news all around. Just tellin' ya not ta worry. We got them covered. They won't mess up your musical. Ya got my word on it." He cracked his knuckles for more that just effect.

Lina slapped him on the back. "Thanks, Tasuki ! I bet you will and I'm counting on ya too. Ah, there's Xelloss. I'll pass that name by him."

Oh yes, Xelloss recognized the name. "Syndicate," he spat. "Zechs is here too and our principal, oddly enough, just passed me the news that Beryl McQueen has made her entrance as well."

"Who?"

Xelloss smiled. "More trash. I'm calling our crew..." he said in a lowered voice. Speaking into his cell phone, he continued, "Hello? Zolf, we have a cleanup on aisle 12 and in the lobby. Zechs, McQueen, and Nakago. You know? _Dandy!_ Carry on then, my good man. My mind is set to rest knowing you are on duty. Yeah, well...bye." He smiled down a Lina. "Nothing to worry about. Security is on the job!"

"To tell ya the truth, I trust us more to keep us safe, ya know?"

"Certainly. But today...soon the bad guys will be playing with their gloves off and even those amplifiers and that pendant won't protect you, I'm afraid."

"I didn't mean these things anyway. I meant you...a-and Zel and Gourry and Val and you know."

"Yes. Those to whom life is meaningless without you!"

Lina smiled and punched him, "You betcha! Come on, goofus. Let's go!"

"You're late!" Martina chastised them all.

Majestically, Lina swept past her declaring, "I am **never** late. I **set** the time."

Amelia, Sylphiel, and Gourry joined Zelgadiss and Lina on stage behind the curtain. Behind them was a painted village. They pulled up at a small table and waited. The background music climaxed and the curtain rose on...

**

* * *

Act Four The Battle Field Expands**

**Scene One**

Martina stepped to their table, tablet in hand. "Can I take your orders?"

"I'll have one of everything!" Lina shouted. "And make it snappy!"

Martina's expression turned sour. _Pigs_... "Everything. Got it. And you?

"Me, too!" Gourry agreed. "Ah...um...two of everything!" He waved two fingers in the air for Martina to see.

_What a waste of manhood..._"Two. One, two. I get it. And you?" Martina looked down her nose at Amelia's cheerful countenance.

"I'll have the same!" Amelia said with enthusiasm.

"Naturally," Martina nodded curtly, _little copycat..._ and stared at the next in line.

"Salad and would you put the dressing on the side? Or... um...just sprinkle some vinegar on it. And... a glass of water," Sylphiel added.

"Sprin-kle of vinegar?" Martina broke her pencil in her fingers.

"I'm watching my weight," Sylphiel said with a concerned look. "Are croutons rich?"

Martina grumbled under her breath, ._..soaked in butter...fat, fat, fat..._ then aloud answered, "No," and turned to Zelgadiss. "And you, Sir?"

"Tea."

"Tea? Just...tea?" Martina's eyebrow twitched.

"Yes. Tea. Plain," Zel clarified.

The audience was filled with kids who were witnesses of Lina's gang's lunchtime antics. This was a reality they could vouch for; they snickered.

"Fine," Martina stomped off in a huff, nose in the air.

"Poor Miss Martina," Amelia sighed. "Her castle and everything destroyed and now...reduced to waiting tables. Although, she looks very nice in that outfit, don't you think?"

"Yeah, well, she should be happy my sister got her this job here. Hey, it wasn't my fault her castle was in Gaav's territory when we took him out. She should blame that little Phibrizzo creep."

But Lina's excuses would have to go largely unsaid, when a beautiful, tall blonde girl approached them. "Which one of you is the most powerful sorceress in the world?"

Lina looked up, "Who's askin'?"

Filia pulled up an empty chair. "My name is Filia Ul Copt. I was told I could find the person I need at this restaurant."

"Well, it _could_ be me. Depends on what the deal is."

Filia stood and burst into song explaining that she was a representative from the dragon community with a strange prophecy to fulfill. "Gather the five weapons of power and return them to the Stargaaaate... before it's too laaaate... Don't leave it to faaaate!"

"Yeah? So, these weapons you mentioned, how do we find them? And are they valuable?" Lina asked as the song's end.

"They will all have the mark of the gods on their handles," Filia told them. "Like the decoration on my pendant."

She showed them all the heavy metal bobble hanging from a chain around her neck.

There were a few gasps from select audience members, who never expected such an overt flaunting of power...

Zelgadiss drew his sword, "Look at this! Gourry, show her yours."

"They both have that symbol imprinted on the hilts!" Amelia exclaimed.

"What does that mean?" Sylphiel asked.

"It means we only gotta find three more," Lina answered. "Then what do we do with them?"

"Take them to my elders at our greatest shrine and we can unlock the secret of the prophesy."

"And...what's in it for me?" Lina pounded the table with a fist.

This sent the audience into fits of giggles and snickers. Lina captured her own character quite convincingly.

"Well..." Filia began to answer, when Martina returned, juggling armloads of plates and bowls.

They didn't need to pretend to eat; Martina actually served them real food. Lina, Gourry, and Amelia dug in with their usual gusto. There was a small tussle over a sparerib and Amelia and Lina traded off stealing one another's rolls.

"Looks like the lunchroom all over again!" one person shouted out.

"Yeah, all that's missing is bloodshed!" someone else in the audience added amid snickers.

"Come on, we have to hurry!" Filia begged, then demanded, stomping her foot, "NOW!"

"Now? I haven't even started the soup..." Lina said off-handedly.

Filia jumped up, knocking over her chair in the process, lifted the huge (but actually empty) punch-bowl-sized tureen and pretended to quaff it back in a few colossal gulps.

Laughter shook the theater hall. Who would have thought the snooty cheerleader would make fun of herself like that!

"All right!" she shouted as she smashed the empty bowl to the floor. "Done. Now, go! The elders will pay you handsomely for successfully completing the prophecy, if...IF we get there before it's too late."

"Too late?" Sylphiel was quizzical. "You just got here."

"That's right," Amelia joined in. "It isn't healthy to exert yourself on a full stomach!"

"Wha- what?" Filia swirled around and stomped her foot, then...keeled over, eyes closed.

But before she hit the floor, Xelloss appeared from behind a backdrop and caught her in his arms. This had been practiced to perfection. Filia had warned Xelloss that if he failed to catch her ONCE, he would die a long and painful death at her hands. He never missed his cue. "My, my but you _are_ a heavy girl. Did I miss something?"

Zel shook his head, stood and sheathed his sword. "Not a beat. We were just leaving. Enjoy your lunch."

As the actors walked off stage, Xelloss bearing Filia admirably without staggering, Lee and Luke whisked away the props surreptitiously to the opposite side. The music became dark and dramatic, and the lighting altered. The backdrop rose on a set which now simulated a cavern with shiny, luminous paint giving the effect of moisture on hanging stalactites. Val, wings extended, looked positively, marvelously, evil.

Outside the rear of the building, a big man perspiring heavily and dressed with a hint of the gypsy or actor about him, was pushing a large wooden crate toward the rear stage door.

"The musical is in progress. No admittance."

"Oh? That's okay. No problem. I'm their director just delivering some props."

Rodimus stepped in front of the door. "They have no director..." then on closer inspection, he realized who the man was. "Mr. Rossburg?"

"Yes, yes! You see, that fiery little redhead wanted a few of these for her own play. I think they'll work best in the finale."

"Okay, " Rodimus opened the door. "Just shove it in and take this pass. Seat's on the house."

"Why, thank you, my good man! Thank you very much!"

**

* * *

Scene Two**

Meanwhile, Val was finishing his tortured solo from his cave-like set. At his feet were Jillas and Gravos. They were dressed like a couple of gypsies because Zelgadiss and Lina had acquired the two costumes for free at the costumier's going-out-of-business sale, and they fit.

"Boss, they're here," Gravos said.

Val looked over at him, frowning. "Who?"

"The guys who killed Lord Gaav, sir. They're climbing up the mountain. They might find the way down into here."

"They want this," Val hefted the mighty pike-like weapon in his fist and stabbed at a loose set piece, bringing down a crumble of fake-rock. "And they are lookin' for the one hidden in this place. They have the other holy weapons with them?"

"Oh, yes, boss. At least... I saw two swords!" Jillas assured him. "But if we couldn't get past the guardian to get that holy weapon, boss, they can't, I'm sure."

"But if they can, then all we do is kill them all and the treasure is ours. All of them, but one... I must go meet the human creatures that destroyed my Lord Gaav...and make them pay," Val growled.

They exited the stage amid stormy music and a lighting change, slightly lighter to enhance the foreground, as Lina and company entered from the other side.

Filia was chastising Xelloss, "Never, never, ever touch me again you...piece of raw monster garbage!"

"You can bet on it. Next time, I'll let you fall. Knock some sense into that tiny dragon brain of yours." Xelloss topped it off by sticking out his tongue at her.

"Oooooh!" she screamed. Lee pushed an over-fifteen pound mace from under a hollow rock prop to under Filia's skirt, and then crawled off unseen off stage. "Take this!" Filia shrieked as she swung the mace through the air at Xelloss' head. Had it connected, it would have knocked his head off. Thankfully, they had practiced the routine so many times that as long as his attention didn't waver a micro-second and his quick reflexes remained perfectly intact, he would survive her attack.

One of her swings circled a little too close to Zelgadiss for him to ignore it. "Cut that out! Now, you are leading us here, so, which way do we go?" Zelgadiss asked Filia. "Left or right? And remind me, you _are _certain we'll find the last two weapons here?"

Filia hid away the mace, gripped her pendant and hummed some tune, trance-like. "Straight ahead...Oh!"

And the lights went up as the curtain fell in preparation for the next scene. This set was very simple. An enormous wood square piece of plywood with a four-by-four-foot-square cut-out of the center was painted to look like stone. The opening was replaced for the start of the scene and the entire structure was centered on the stage with the secondary curtains split and down on both sides. Bobby hit the lights, leaving only the exits illuminated. The audience was in the dark and twelve fog machines were filling the room with a thin mist within seconds. When the main curtain rose, what the crowd saw was nothing. It was dark. They could hear voices...

**

* * *

Scene Three**

"Down there."

"That tiny hole?"

"Well, a few rocks have to be moved."

There was a terrible fingernails-on-the-blackboard scraping sound, and the cover in the opening was laboriously pushed to the side; at least it sounded that way. "Mr. Zelgadiss, that's far enough! If you use too much magic power to move the rocks, the whole place might cave in!"

"Don't worry, Amelia."

"What we need now is a lighting spell," Lina said, and then brilliant backlighting flicked on.

The light rays were reflected by the mist particles, so that to each person in the room, it appeared that the rays were headed directly at them– as lights on a car in a thin fog, piercing the darkness ahead. The result was feeling as if you were sitting in your seat in the theater at the bottom of a hole.

The audience let out a collective, "Ahhhhh."

"Where does it go?" Lina peered into the cavity in the cave floor. Her face could be seen looking 'down' the opening as she stood behind the structure. The effect was very realistic. One by one, each of the others looked into the 'hole'.

"I don't know, but what we are looking for...it's there," Filia replied.

"I think it's in the other direction," Xelloss put in just to make trouble.

"Then you go that way," Lina growled. "This is Filia's prophecy."

"How do we get down? I can't fly," Gourry asked.

"I brought a rope. You can climb down," Zel told him.

"Oh, that is a problem. If I transform into my dragon form, I'll be too large to fit!"

"I suggest you tie the rope to her, and then climb down." Xelloss smiled and dashed out of the path of Filia's swinging mace.

"Youuuuuuu!"

Or at least that is what the audience could imagine as the sound of her screaming and thundering feet was all that could be heard.

"That's it!" shouted Lina. "Zel, help me fly Gourry down. Amelia and Sylphiel can take care of Filia."

A combination of fog and darkness contributed to the successful illusion working– they did seem to float 'down the hole'. The backlights dimmed as they all moved 'away' from the opening, until the opening was replaced invisibly with another object completely.

One of the set design features had included embedding a huge video screen into the opening, now a 'cave' wall. It came to life. Zelgadiss was particularly pleased with how this effect came out in the end. He had convinced Milgasia one afternoon to drape himself in a pale colored concealing hooded cloak and recite a few lines, while Kiki recorded him. Xelloss messed with the image later to give it a mystical appearance, and now it played out on the wall.

"It's the Extreme Elder!" Filia cried out, messing up her line. She should have called him the 'Supreme Elder.'

"Looking eerily eldritch..." Xelloss muttered. Just to play on her little error in a way that would annoy her, he continued, "Elaborately lacking in élan due to elusive electro convulsive treatments. That's my eloquent and elevating elegy!"

"I don't think he's real," Lina deduced.

"That's just what**_ I _**said!" Xelloss whined, ignored by everybody.

Zelgadiss knew an illusion when he saw one too. He moved off to the side to examine an interesting artifact.

At this point, the Milgasia-Elder-apparition gave a brief retelling of the massacre of the Ancient race of dragons that had once filled the caverns, revealing how Filia's people were ultimately responsible.

Filia was beside herself with despair at this news. "If only I hadn't this terrible journey to complete, I would leave my shrine for good!"

So dispirited she was, that even Jillas, observing from the side, was moved. "Hey, it wasn't you that did nothin'! Say, I know where another of those marked things is, and mebbe the guy with it can help you just like he helped me when I was down!"

This pitched Filia into another song, which grew into a duet with Jillas reminding her to buck up and make the world a better place and not fold in their time of need, and Filia replying that that was just what she intended to do—as soon as he stopped staring at her breasts!

"Look at this!" Zelgadiss raised a dangerous looking crossbow-like weapon to his shoulder. "Can you find a marking?"

Both Lina and Xelloss were close at hand. "Yes! Imprinted here!" Lina crowed. "This one's mine!" and ripped it away from her friend.

"I think...it should be mine," Xelloss said as he struck her down and took the bow.

"But it is MINE!" bellowed a rough voice from the shadows and Val made his appearance once again.

"Who are you?" Lina asked, as she regained her feet. "Not that it matters, 'cause we got here first and say it's ours. Anyway, it looks like you got your hands full with your own weapon."

"I am VALGAAV. Once an Ancient Dragon, but re-born anew as a servant of Lord Gaav. Ah, yes, I see you know the name. Murderers!"

"Another MONSTER!" Sylphiel shrieked.

"Another...?" Val's hooded eyes slipped over the group, landing on Xelloss. "You. You should go. Leave the weapon of the Ancients and go."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Xelloss smirked. "You see, I have one of the set too," he twirled his staff as an example. "And, if I am not mistaken, you are carrying one of your own. It appears all five prophesied keys to the puzzle are gathered. No, ValGaav, I think I'll stick around now that things are getting interesting."

Everyone was assembled for another one of the bigger song and dance routines. Symbolically, it was a fight between the monsters over supremacy, with humans and the one pure dragon getting the bad side of magic. Filia tried to convince ValGaav to turn 'from the dark side' (Lina couldn't resist this nod to one of her favorite movies) and together see the prophecy through to its end and make Dragon Kind stronger. As the tempo escalated, so did the pyrotechnics.

It ended dramatically with one of Val's signature howls as he and Xelloss fought in earnest. Lina and company made their escape with the weapons, excepting Xelloss' staff, while the monsters were otherwise occupied (working very hard not to really do one another harm while dodging sprays of sparks.)

If anything interesting was going on in the theater hall, Lina and the other Slayers couldn't have known or heard such was their overpowering cacophony of music and sound effects.

The audience was so in awe of the spectacle, they nearly forgot to applaud when the lights all went out.

The stage went dark.

"Where are we?" Amelia asked. "It's so dark."

"Astral plane is my guess," Lina answered her.

"Bing-go!"

"Xelloss! Are you behind this? Stop it at once! Send us back NOW!"

And then the lights went up on...

* * *

Next time, Act Four concludes with Scene Four ...From the Authors: 

The pictures for the musical are working. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx, Summer Special, and NEXT. Pictures for other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 47.


	48. The Musical: Act Four, Act Five and som...

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 48 **

The Musical: Act Four, Act Five and some Murmurings

**"Don't be too clever for an audience. Make it obvious. Make the subtleties obvious also." – Billy Wilder  
**

**

* * *

Act Four, Scene Four**

When the lights went up on the stage, the Slayers were all assembled on a windy rock ledge, or so it appeared. Bobby had helped Luke and Pearl roll three standing fans to the side edge of the stage and then turned them on 'high'. As the fan heads rotated back and forth synchronously, enough air blew to move the actor's hair convincingly.

"Now what?" Lina demanded.

Two figures stood at the opposite side of the stage-– Zelas and Darkstar. Nahga dressed in a tight blue cocktail dress was beyond dazzling; she was simply spectacular. At her side in a well-cut black suit and purple wig, was John, who from a distance and wearing dark glasses gave the impression of a tall Xelloss-poser.

For a moment all time stopped for Xelloss. It was mesmerizing. There, out of the fog he saw what he mistook to be himself standing beside his dead mother.

"Thank you, Xelloss-darling," Nahga-Zelas addressed Xelloss, pulling him out of his reverie. "You may leave now. We will take care of the rest."

"If you don't mind, mistress...Mother, I should like to stay and see what transpires." Xelloss ended his request with a bow. "Who is this man?"

This led into a short number where Nahga-Zelas introduced Xelloss to his father. John, who was no singer, had begged off having to participate, so Lina had had to rewrite the lyrics so that it made sense for Xelloss to sing instead.

Xelloss was put off by this Darkstar character, this intruder. The man presented competition for Zelas' attention, whether it be in the form of a mother's love or a boss's admiration.

Nahga-Zelas was unmoved. She had moved on with her life and her son was in the way if he wasn't willing to move aside gracefully. To top it off, it turned out that the prophecy was bogus and that the weapons together contained a code to unlock the treasures of the monster world. Zelas had used him to gather them all for herself, and then abandon him for the more powerful Darkstar.

Filia joined in after the second chorus. She sang of her outrage and begged Valgaav to defy his corrupted monster parts, to turn away from the monsters' destiny of destruction and follow her on the road to redemption.

The number was long and allowed those not in it to rest.

Sylphiel used the opportunity to whisper to Zelgadiss, "You're letting her go out with that guy?"

"Who...? Oh, ah... Amelia can make up her own mind about what's best for herself."

"Zel, no!"

"Shhh..." Lina hissed over at the taller girl.

She lowered her voice, "You can't let her do that. She'll think you don't... like... care."

"Nothing I can do."

Sylphiel looked around for Filia's mace thinking that it was about the right tool to get through Zel's thick skull. "Tell her to say 'no' anyway. You don't want Duo to, you know, get his grubby little fingers on Amelia... Well, do you?"

No he didn't, he had to admit, but he didn't see himself interfering either.

Lina gave them both a hard look, which added to her already building angry aura against the Demon Lords. "Listen up! I'm not about to give up my hard-fought-for weapons for nothing and Ill be damned if I'm gonna be cheated out of some reward by you scumbags. Okay, everybody, let's see what these handy-looking babies can do when we slap some spells on 'em!"

So, Lina called her friends to arms and they entered into battle against Zelas and Darkstar. When Val saw Filia sink to her feet under an attack from Zelas, his resolve to seek revenge on Lina for Gaav's death quavered. "What had the beautiful, young dragoness done to deserve such a fate-- to become a pawn in the monsters' game?" he questioned himself aloud.

Likewise, Xelloss wondered why Darkstar chose now to trespass into his territory and why Zelas was letting him. "Do you think that you can replace me as her General and Priest, my Lord Darkstar?"

"I shall wield the power that Hellmaster relinquished as well as all that from the Outer world and beyond. Zelas doesn't need a boy to do a man's job," Darkstar-John said, needling Xelloss to act rashly.

"That is all I needed to know," Xelloss growled as he raised his staff in a threatening manner.

Amid another sound and light show, Val and Xelloss joined in the melee, assisting the Slayers, emboldening them to fight harder and deliver the final blows which destroyed both monster Lords, Zelas and Dark star.

In that dramatic moment, Val Gaav transformed into a pure dragon, losing his black wings, and embraced Filia. "We're saved!" Filia nearly burst with joy.

"No, I am saved, thanks to you believin' in me," Val said, although he nearly gagged on the overly-sweet sentiment. It was a bit saccharine, even for Sylphiel, who swore by the calorie-free sweetener, which was 500 times sweeter than regular table sugar.

Moments later, Xelloss shed his monster raiment and became a human. "Without my master, telling me what to do, I am free to do as I please for once in my life. This makes me human."

He knelt beside the 'deceased' Nahga-Zelas and removed a ring from her finger. Slipping it into a pocket for safekeeping freed up his hands to remove a similar ring from Darkstar's still hand. Xelloss picked up the gun which Darkstar had lost in the fight and unloaded it. He regained his feet and, as he approached Lina, he took out Zelas' ring from his pocket. "Take this, please, Miss Lina. It may protect you from other monsters' attacks when I can't."

There were mutterings around the room from dark-purposed men and women as they watched emblems of power being handled in so cursory a manner by mere...kids.

Lina reached out and nabbed it quickly with a quick nod. "Guess I won't be needing these amplifiers so much then. Here, Sylphiel, your magic's weaker. It could use some punching up."

"T-thank you!" the priestess said.

"Zelgadiss..." Xelloss began.

"I'll take that gun, if you don't mind. I've always been interested in firearms. Give the ring to the princess."

More gasps sounded at the insolent behavior of one of theirs. Xelloss was one of theirs...wasn't he at one time? Wasn't he now? Once syndicate, always syndicate–until death do you part.

"Certainly," Xelloss replied. "Then, Miss Amelia, this ring is for you."

"Why...it's beautiful! Thank you Mr. Xelloss. But what about Mr. Gourry? Won't he need something to protect him?"

"Don't worry about me, Amelia. I've got this sword of light! With it, I'm the best swordsman of all time."

Ah! One of actual Ancient Clan's weapons of power! In that kid's hands! Here!

Xelloss smiled, "My, my... Well, there's nothing more important for me to do now than to help rid the world of the rest of the evil monster race."

Val moved to stand beside him, Filia's hand in his. "Me, too. It's a promise."

And the curtain fell on the poignant ending to Act Four, leaving the audience murmuring about the story so far:

"Could it be that these kids were actually taking on the syndicate?" one mother conferred with another.

"Zelas, their past school principal was a syndicate leader?" questioned another parent.

"Did they really kill Xelloss' parents and Val's too!" A boy asked his friend beside him.

Who replied, "Naw...they woulda gone ta jail like my ole man. Betcha that's made up."

"Uh, u-uh, not if it's self-defense!"

"I think it's symbolic!" some other nosy kid put in.

"I get it! Val Agares was Val Gaav?" some kid learned for the first time.

"I don't believe it! Zel's grandfather was THAT Great Red Priest?"

"Ah, come on! Those guys aren't really magic users, so how did they actually do all that?"

"They used real guns, idiot!"

While others agreed: "These kids must be stopped before this goes much further."

While Subaru would not be so shallow as to say he could tell if someone was evil by looking at them, he could usually discern evil intent simply by feeling it. It was a sort of curse, as he'd come to look upon all of his inherited Sumeragi responsibilities. Perhaps it was unjust to view them so. He no longer cared. The truth was, losing Hokuto had freed him as well as depressed him. He no longer felt connected to his spiritual destiny. Now that she was gone, he would finally follow her advice. Bitterness clouded his pure heart, now. But he could still tell when someone meant harm. If only he'd been able to tell that one time! That one person...!

But there were people in the audience of this musical whose evil intent he could feel without even trying. That tall woman with long, brown hair, flanked by quartet of men in suits. She was full of spite and ambition and jealousy, and the cruelty to act on these feelings–in a final way. That was one. There was a platinum-blonde man in the very back who observed it all as if he were watching an ant's nest he was about to dump poison on. Another man, this one tan in contrast with pale lavender hair, sat in the very front, clapping merrily, but he too saw the whole event as merely an insect's attempt at entertaining his great personage. There were countless people with rather less haughty attitudes or high ideals who till meant nothing but harm. These minions and thugs were just a low buzz of evil, while the others were stark notes of cruelty. It was beginning to affect Subaru, to be in the presence of all of this negativity.

"Here," the young 'count' handed him a plastic cup with steam curling from the top. The scent of green tea was like a balm for his soul. "We can't have you fainting in the middle of your friends' performance."

"Thank you," Subaru breathed before he brought the tea to his lips. Just what he needed!

"And you should have some of this, too. You haven't been eating well recently."

Subaru obediently took the cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches he was offered. 'Recently.' He had _never_ eaten well. Sometimes he just couldn't bear to.

"And I have your favorite mochi for dessert!" D smiled.

They hadn't time to address his other problems as the curtain rose on...

**

* * *

--- Act Five --- Finale**

**--- "The suspense is terrible. I hope I will last." –Oscar Wilde. ---**

**Scene One  
**The heavy curtain rose on a painted backdrop depicting the gated entrance to the Seyruun Palace.

"DEAD?" Lina yelled at the guard, played by Gravos.

"M-my d-daddy is...d-dead?" Amelia whimpered.

"He went...out," Gravos stumbled over his lines, but it came off as sob-filled and emotional. "A-aaaand..."

"He didn't come back. Is that whatcha mean?" Lina cut in, helping him with his forgotten line.

"Yeah, that's right. Didn't find no sign of him, just a big fight."

"I...I need to go to my room now," Amelia said.

Her path was blocked as Jillas, dressed regally and wearing a short, dark wig, strode up. "Cousin Amelia! What a sad day!"

"Cousin Alfred!" Amelia cried on his shoulder.

"Truly tragic event, I'm afraid. Come in and I'll tell you all I know." Alfred-Jillas looked over Gourry, Lina, Amelia, and Zel before asking, "Who are these people with you?"

Amelia did the introductions quickly adding, "My other friends are visiting a shrine outside of town."

"Ah...Amelia? Any chance of some sort of banquet in there?" Gourry prodded gently.

"He means..." Lina punched him solidly. "We'll get right on your father's disappearance, after we eat."

"You mean... you don't think he's dead?" Amelia asked hopefully.

"He's a big strong man and the guard said they didn't find his body. That means he's some where and that means there's hope he's alive too!" Lina assured her.

"There is that possibility, of course," Alfred-Jillas said uncomfortably.

"And where there's hope, there's a chance that justice will prevail and we'll find him and those that brought this upon him!" Amelia shouted with her little fist upraised.

The backdrop was raised to reveal was appeared to be a palace anteroom and Jillas began a song of support and solidarity, "We shall demand justice!"

Van Fanel and his girlfriend Hitomi were sitting together on the outer edge of row 56. Behind them were Allen Schezar and his loony sister, Celena. Allen tapped Van on his shoulder. When Van tilted his head back Allen leaned forward in a coolly elegant move and whispered in his ear, "I take it you've seen the gang out of Dornkirk come in...over by the exit?"

Van could have been Heero's slightly taller, dark-eyed twin brother, even down to the serious expression, which just got darker. "You mean the assholes who call themselves the Guy-melefs? Yes. I'm hoping they try something."

Allen tucked a stray lock of his cascading blonde hair behind an ear. "Me, too." His smile did not meet his eyes, however.

Van nodded. He knew that the leader of that gang was partially responsible for Celena's mental instability following a vicious rape attack. Although it put the guilty perpetrator behind bars, the gang was still intact. Allen wouldn't rest until they were all securely put away, one way or the other. Both Van and Allen had their fencing gear strapped to their legs, hidden beneath long coats.

Celena's eyes traced the path Allen's had just taken. She licked her lips in anticipation, hand rubbing the swell of a long blade at her hip– she was ready as well. The music volume increased with a strident beat, capturing her attention and drawing her out of her dark thoughts and helping her concentrate back on the musical.

Mazenda–Martina and Kanzel-Zangalus were battling the four Slayers on stage. Xelloss had 'saved' Prince Philonel of Seyruun, played by the tireless John with, as he said, 'A lot of padding and fake black hair,' and had just carried him offstage. Alfred-Jillas entered from the other side, a smug expression curling his lips roguishly. Was _he_ in for a surprise...

Utena Tenjou tensed. She had observed a particular man take his seat up front. A familiar face, that of her best friend's older brother, Akio, with tan skin juxtaposed against a soft fall of lavender hair. He had no business being here, no good business. She twisted a rose-crested ring on her finger and considered the possibilities. Utena was captain of the Seyruun High School fencing team following the merger of the girl's and boy's teams. Zangalus could have fought her promotion, since he had an equal claim. He had been the boy's team leader following Zel's retirement of the post at his mid-year graduation. But, to be honest, the girls were tougher, scarier, more determined, not to mention distracting to the opposition. Utena certainly was when she struck a attack-pose, showing off her tall slender figure and beautiful flowing cotton-candy pink hair. She had many qualifications Zangalus lacked, and so, he stepped aside graciously, just as Van had earlier that afternoon when she told him to move over so she could sit next to him.

Utena kicked the foot next to hers.

Van peered curiously out from under his shaggy bangs, "I saw them."

"Akio up front. Watch him."

Van returned a curt nod. _More _fun.

Utena bent to her other side and whispered to the equally tall girl there. "Can you feel the anxiety level rising around us?"

Umi pulled back her sleek blue hair and smiled slyly. "Explosive. If I lit a match, the place would ignite. You realize that your nemesis Akio is on the School's Board of Directors, don't you?" She looked back at the stage and frowned, "Oh, rats! That cute guy Alfred's been killed by one of those weirdos! He was syndicate...um, I mean 'a tool of the monsters,' too!"

"The board of directors!" Van gasped.

"I wouldn't be too surprised," Allen put in, calmly, from behind, "considering our former principal–and our newest one."

Van narrowed his yes at his "friend's" nonchalance. Allen was going to be hard to work with, as always.

"Well, it should all be surprising!" Umi insisted, uncannily sticking up for Van. "They did a good job of hiding all of this!"

"That's why this," Hitomi gestured at the stage, "...was necessary."

Well, that was a pleasant change! The smile Hitomi and Umi exchanged made Van feel...pride? Comfort? Something like that. Van had considered Umi to be a snobby rich girl and snubbed her when she and the friends at her side joined the fencing team. But her amazing skill at fighting impressed him. It was gratifying that Hitomi was getting along with this popular and estimable girl, especially now that Van had grown to respect her. And he'd realized that her friends were valuable allies, too. Fuu, seated on Umi's other side, was a pretty, introverted blonde presently entering the advanced placement classes Zelgadiss, Xelloss, and Lina had completed. A bit of a nerd, but Van liked her smile and her classic fencing style. Next to Fuu, was Van's secret favorite of the new additions to the team, Hikaru. Her curly, red hair and happy outlook on life contrasted with his dark looks and attitude...it reminded him more of his kid-sister-substitute, Merle...

He smiled slightly as he remembered Zel telling him about the dance club he'd gone to where he had met a cute girl who liked dogs, Hikaru. Hikaru had to have been pretty good to get that response from 'Cold-as-ice Zelgadiss'. He turned to Hitomi. "Zel and Gourry gathered everyone here."

"Nn," she agreed. "Isn't that Inu, who you play against, over by the window?"

Van scrunched up his face. Inu was a vicious opponent when it came to fencing, but if Zel thought he was a friend..."Yes, with those crazy martial-arts idiots. Look, there's Ranma Satome and a bunch of his Tendo dojo members behind them."

"Some of those people are from Xelloss' dojo, too. Now, shhh...I want to hear this song. Martina's voice is pretty good She's the one playing that evil lady up there."

"Not as good as your voice," Val murmured and ran a finger lightly along Hitomi's arm in a mild show of affection. His heart leaped at her reaction, a demure smile.

In fact, he was so distracted, that when he finally focused on the musical again, the curtain was falling for the next scene change.

Zelgadiss checked his watch. Time enough, he decided. He found a towel and wiped the sweat off his neck. "'Melia?"

"Oh, you need a drink," she cried out. "I'll be right there!"

"Um, thanks," Zel said after drinking long and gratefully from the sports bottle she had handed him.

"I didn't think it would get so hot up here. I guess we ran the fans more for the dress rehearsal." Amelia smiled and looked at Zelgadiss standing tall and staring at her, really staring. "Is...something wrong?"

_Nothing that watching your breasts heaving under that thin, low-cut blouse won't solve_... "Ah, what?_ Damnit, don't get distracted, not now! "Oh, um...not really._ Oh, well, yes, I think so, it's just that...I don't want you going out with that guy...that's all." _Shit, that sounded lame._

Amelia narrowed her eyes. "Oh, it that all?"

"Well, for now...yeah." Poor Zel missed his cue for this act.

"And why is that? Because...I'm too young or too immature or too, too..." her voice was rising.

"No no no...!" Zel tried to shut her off before one of the others overheard and came over to interfere. "You're not too...anything like that. More like too...enticing!"

_Huh? _That through Amelia for a loop. _Did Zelgadiss just complement her? Did he just call her sexy? _Amelia grinned, "Really? Do you think so? Do you think he might want to...?" She thought a moment and decided to make Zel squirm. "Kiss me? That would be okay, if it was just that. I like kissing, if the guy is very special. That shouldn't bother you, right?"

Zel's eyes roved over her face, pausing on the said lips, and then gliding up to her wide, blue eyes. "No! I mean...it does bother me! No, not kissing you, I like that well enough, but...him...that guy...doing it...does...bother me, that is." Zel blurted out in a desperate attempt to stop her from dating Duo. Realizing what he had just admitted, he knew he might as well make a damn fool of himself and say it all. "I, um, couldn't help but overhear him..."

"Uh, huh..." Amelia folded her arms over her chest, under her breasts in a most distracting manner.

And, well I thought you and I were...you know..."

She shook her head, "Were what?"

Zel sighed. She was not making this easy for him. "That I was your boyfriend and you were my...girlfriend...like that." _Gods...that had better be enough!_

"Really?" she couldn't help but smile; Zel looked so...miserably cute.

"Yeah, I mean after you...and then we...I just thought..."

"Oh, Zelgadiss!" she cried out and threw herself into his unprepared arms. "I'd love to be your real girlfriend!"

Zel emerged from his state of shock with the sounds of several of his best friends clapping, and one shouting. "You have one minute to get a grip and change clothes for the next scene!" Lina hollered at the blushing pair. "Geesh..."

This set had been a great deal of fun to design– the epitome of the mad scientist's laboratory. Xelloss had borrowed lab equipment from the university and helped set up the stage for each practice. He loved the glowing test tubes, spiraling glass chutes and networks connecting beakers of bubbling, smoking liquids over Bunsen burners. He was carefully checking the set for loose wires or dangling cords which might rip someone up in the ensuing battle scene.

An arcing pair of electrodes sizzled at one side and a man in a lab coat stood nearby. He was tall and thin with frazzled white hair and a powered-white face– it appeared to be Halciform. But it wasn't. No one could tell it was Val, until he opened his mouth to talk, and Val was determined to pull this part off and fool everyone. He could talk like a brainiac, if he wanted to. He'd show them all.

Zelgadiss on the other hand... Val hoped that guy could keep his mind on the musical and not biff his lines! Yeah, love was great, but couldn't the little nerdlings hold off just a while longer until the musical was over?

He looked over at the mannequin decked out with a mile-long crimson wig. If only all girls were that simple, he thought with a snide smile. Filia sure wasn't. Girls were demanding. If he kept his mouth shut, she'd ask stuff like, "Whatcha thinking?" How do you answer a question like that? If he was honest, a bad idea, he might say something like... 'Onions fried on a hamburger' or 'that fly's half way to Lina's doughnut'– neither of which satisfied Filia. He HAD to be thinking about her at all times and so he'd come up with a few choice responses, like 'I was tryin' to think up a place to take ya' or 'how cool you look today.' That made her happy, but often got her started on the specifics. "Like where were you thinking?" "I hate this old blouse and my hair's a mess, so what's so cool about that?" See? Even the quick, reliable answers could get a guy into trouble.

He straightened out a few stray hairs on the mannequin's face and patted them flat with one hand, the other held it from wobbling and falling over.

"What are you thinking about, Val, over here all by yourself?"

Val smiled and shook his head. _I ain't tellin', no matter what. _"Nothin'."

"I didn't think so, but would you leave the props alone? Oh, and if it gets you off, you can fondle the plastic lady all you want later, after the show."

Val's hands flew off the hair as if he were burned. Xelloss giggled so hard he honked. Val grinned in spite of himself. _See, dudes don't wanna get inside yer head like chicks! _"Shit, Xelloss..." He slugged him in the arm good-naturedly. "Ya know, you'd make a lousy girl. I don't know whatever gave me the idea one time that you'da made a good one."

"Because you thought I was gooooor-geous!" Xelloss teased. "And it was two times you said so! Ahhh!" he screamed as he danced just out of reach of Val's vindictive fist.

"Quiet on the set!" Lina bellowed. "Xelloss, Val! Get your asses where they belong and shut up!"

**

* * *

Scene Two**

Halciform-Val looked up from the lab table at the sound of Lina, Gourry, Zelgadiss, Amelia and Sylphiel entering his concealed laboratory. "How did you people get past the guards?" Val-ciform snapped. "In particular, my new security?" Val enunciated every syllable correctly.

With gusto, Lina said by way of an answer, "My persuasive personality combined with my fantastic beauty!"

The scientist's jaw dropped at her audacity.

"Or maybe..." Lina paused as she 'drew' magical power into her hands, setting up another of Jillas' controlled sparking, smoking displays. "It had something to do with the fact that I'm Lina Inverse, Sorceress Supreme!"

Gourry wandered over to where Zel was examining the contents of a long bathtub-like enclosure. He began to touch the surface, but then withdrew his hand as if he had been burned. "Whoa, Zel! She's hot!"

Zel turned the tub facing out so that the audience could see the beautiful mannequin-girl lying inside. He grinned, "I noticed."

That drew a twittering of chuckles around the room.

"Hey, Lina," Gourry called. "Zel found a cute chick over here..."

"Stay away from my RUBIA!" Val-ciform shouted. He dashed around the table to come between the vat and the other two young men.

"I don't see what all the excitement's about," Nuriko of the Suzaku Seven singer troupe whispered to Tasuki at his side.

"Red hair," Tasuki smirked, and then he ran his fingers through his own orange-red tangle of hair. "Girl, guy... don't matter as long as the hair's red, they're hot. Like Lina, get it?"

"Long, sleek, and black...like our band leader and...Miwan. Now he's hot!" Nuriko stated.

"I like black hair too," came a musical voice from Nuriko's other side.

He turned to smile upon one of the sweetest, loveliest woman he had ever known, Belldandy. "That's only because your boyfriend's hair is black and he is seated beside you," Nuriko smiled.

Keiichi sat forward to see what was up. He was the unlikely, lucky man to be that boyfriend. He was in a couple classes with Nuriko at the university when he wasn't working at his auto repair business with a bunch of buddies of his. Nuriko was one of the few men he completely trusted to sit by Belldandy and behave himself. She was that attractive!

Belldandy and her sisters were in a very successful singing group and knew Nuriko and the Suzaku Seven pretty well, having shared several venues with them over the years. In fact, next to Keiichi in the same row were seated both the older Urd and younger Skuld.

"Hey guys, shhhh!" Urd hissed, and then her eyes caught sight of a woman she had hoped not to see. "Skuld, look quick! Two rows up and over."

"Mara!" Skuld popped up out of her seat.

"Stay down," Keiichi said. He stuck out his neck and searched the heads. _There! A mass of long, curly, blonde hair! _He nearly stood up to be sure...oh yes, and she was dressed obscenely. That was Mara. Zelgadiss had been right to call them for help. Mara, they could handle her.

Val was giving the performance of his life as he played out his death scene, cradling his dear Rubia and moaning...all gone...all...gone...

Later Zel told him he could hear people in the audience whispering, "Who was that guy?" That pleased Val to no end.

Lina got her way with the hanging ropes one other time as well. "Bring me a chair, someone so I can get up there," Lina commanded. "The curtain's about ta go up!"

"I've got it!" Gourry shouted when he bounded to her side. "Ready?" He grabbed hold and raised her several feet in the air. There Lina was to grasp a handle cleverly hidden in a rope looped about her wrists. Gourry supported her weight while she guided her feet into a rope stirrup, again camouflaged to look like she had been tied up and hung by her arms from the ceiling. It looked extraordinarily uncomfortable, and was somewhat, but most of her weight was supported by her legs, not her arms.

There wasn't time to admonish Gourry for his quick 'handy' work. Lina had to get in position at the very last instant before the curtain rose on...

**

* * *

Scene Three**

**"In the theater the audience wants to be surprised, but by things they expect." -Tristan Bernard ---**

"Now that I gotcha where I...ah...wantcha...um..." Gravos lost track of his lines again. He was playing the part of Dilgear this time and only had a couple to remember. Lucky for him, everyone else knew his parts and could help him out.

"I won't talk. And I wouldn't give you any of the priceless heirlooms, even if I did have them on me!"

"You'll talk, once I begin the torture..." Dilgear-Gravos threatened. He buried his fist in a nest of her hair and pulled her face up to his. "But first..." He always wondered what a kiss from Lina Inverse would be like. In fact, after reading his part over and over, he fantasized about it a great deal. Alas, it never came to pass, he feared her too much to sneak one in before Zel came to her rescue.

"Hey! Don't move a muscle or I'll drive this sword clean through your gut," Zel growled.

"I-I wasn't gonna do nothin'!"

"Back away, hands in the air," Gourry held the tip of his blade inches from Dilgear-Gravos' ear, "...or you lose this for a start." He lightly skimmed the upper curve of his ear.

"D-don't !" Dilgear pleaded and stepped back away from Lina.

"I trusted you, Dilgear. You were supposed to be working for me, us..." Zel 'cut' Lina down, catching her fall with one arm. "You all right?"

"Yeah," she said nodded rubbing her arms. "What do you want to do about him?"

Gourry cleared his throat, his sword still poised, "Bring him to justice."

"No," Zel shook his head. "Just let him go. Let him go back to the slime that created and warped his mind." Then he turned his back on Dilgear.

Before he could say anything more, a black masked criminal ran across the stage, and paused only long enough to drive a lightening white-hot sword through Dilgear-Gravos.

Lina noticed the palms of her hands were damp. Nerves. She rarely ever felt nervous, and hated it when she did. Like now. It was nearly time for Grauscherra's part to be played out. She wondered if he'd deliver the lives she had written to close the play or deliver the fatal blow to the Slayers. She could see Pearl and Lee push a weapon under a prop, shove a sword where it would be near-at-hand later, and conceal an extra bo-staff out of sight, but where it could be reached. It was really close. The time for him to act the part or part ways with them was moments away.

Less than that. It had arrived.

Grauscherra stepped forward to center stage saying, "Who was that masked man?" He received a few snickers. His smile faded and he grew serious. "Really, who in this room can tell me... who killed a man who simply failed to carry out his mission successfully? Well, if you know the answer to that question, then I have another for you, because only you would know. Who is left in charge of the Monsters? That's right! Who is the current master of the monster race?"

The spot light followed him as he cupped his chin with his hand and paced thoughtfully. It was so quiet in the hall, that his footfalls were discernable.

He stopped, looked up and continued his monologue, "And now, my friends, students, and esteemed colleagues..." he paused to wait out the rising crowd noises. "I am certain you have read between the lines, seen the parallels, drawn a few conclusions of you own... You know that the story put forth here has been more than a fantasy, but did you know...that is was not as dark as the reality? Oh, yes. What really occurred was much more horrific and convoluted than any story a bunch of high school students could have dreamed up."

"Much." He stood and ran his eyes across the audience and smiled. He signaled for the Slayers to gather closer to him. Xelloss on one side, Zel at his right arm. Lina and the others wondered at this diversion from the script...AGAIN. But this time it wasn't a romantic moment, it was dead serious.

"I see a few familiar faces out there. For those of you who came for revenge or with murderous intent– who believe you work for an organization called The Syndicate..."

Silence reigned.

"It is over. I am afraid that you are in for a surprise. You see..." Grauscherra wrapped one arm around Xelloss and his other around Zel. "Let me introduce you to the new order, the new syndicate. We are the heirs." He waved Val to move up front and stand next to Zel. "We are the leadership. The only ones."

The loud murmuring and startled gasps and noises from the audience treated to overwhelm the man's voice. Lina nudged Gourry and pointed up. He nodded and hefted her onto his shoulders. From that altitude, Lina was able to grab a mic and screamed for their attention, "Shut yer yaps, people and listen up. The man's not done talkin' yet!"

Daniel smiled and shook his head, "Thank you Miss Lina. As I was saying, we are the new guys in charge...and we are bringing the rest of you down."

That shook things up.

"That's right. Meet the new syndicate. No more drug running, murder, mayhem... Bye-bye crime, hello justice– isn't that right, Miss Amelia?"

"Absolutely!" she shouted with a grin.

There were those in the audience who did not share Amelia's enthusiasm for the righteous cause.

There was an ominous silence,

and then all hell broke loose.

* * *

Next time, the audience in an uproar...

From the Authors:

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx, Summer Special, and NEXT. Pictures for other stories are associated with their links.

KS

**End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 48.**


	49. The Musical: Hostilities Surface!

**Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!**

**Chapter 49 **

The Musical: Hostilities Surface

**"Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." – Pablo Picasso**

**"Did ANYONE come just to see the musical?" –Lina Inverse**

* * *

Despite Subaru's lack of instruction in literary analysis—he rarely had the time to attend school, after all—he was quite aware that this alleged 'musical' was really an expose in entertainment's clothing. What the Slayers had told him of their sordid pasts (and what his grandmother had filled in) was veiled by fantasy elements liberally lifted from novels and movies of the sort that Hokuto had always liked to intersperse between her heavier literary and film choices…Hokuto! If she had been there, would she be explaining the subtleties of drama and show biz to him? Pointing out flaws? She certainly wouldn't be as quiet and polite—nor as accommodating—as his present companion, Count D.

"You are thinking of your sister," the man said, his voice accented with mystery. Subaru nodded. "I wonder…will that help or impede you in the battle to come?"

Subaru's green eyes were still set on the stage. He dared not think about the 'battle' the pet shop owner meant, or how he knew of its incipient arrival. The audience was laced with syndicate members, some he recognized, others he only sensed, but why should a pet shop owner know these things? At least that meant he wouldn't be alone in 'the battle to come.' The rest of his band, the only other friends he really had, had considered him 'on sabbatical,' and were off touring without him. He hoped that the Chi no Ryu, their so-called 'rival band,' would not be following them, not be too busy to show up here today with the rest of Seyruun's villains. For the sake of his band mates, yes, but also, perhaps, for his own...

"Holy crap!" Orcot's disturbingly normal voice cut into his private thoughts. "Did you hear that?"

Subaru's 'suspicions' had, of course, just been confirmed by the Slayers, and their syndicate principal! Subaru attended to the stage as Daniel smiled and shook his head.

"Thank you Miss Lina. As I was saying, we are the new guys in charge...and we are bringing the rest of you down."

That shook things up.

"That's right. Meet the new syndicate. No more drug running, murder, mayhem... Bye-bye crime, hello justice– isn't that right, Miss Amelia?"

But Subaru did not hear Amelia's presumably peppy answer, nor did he hear anything but his own heartbeat. For a familiar—not hauntingly but _searingly_ familiar—presence hit him like the shockwave from a bomb (which he now had first-hand experience with, after that recent attack on the shrine.) He stood up. Everyone else was gone. There were only two people in the world, himself, and—

**_And then all hell broke loose._**

A repetition of loud pops was followed by literally piles of garbage falling from some unseen location onto the stage. Then what transpired was baffling to the Slayers and the audience alike. There came a muffled, frantic beating noise like a thousand chickens disturbed from their roost, which was close to what it was. High above the stage was a vast loft crammed with the forgotten refuse of the ages and a pigeon roost for a breeding population of several hundreds of birds. Somehow they had disregarded the sound and light show on the stage far below, but when syndicate operatives chose this time to blast their way through the shoddy flooring to get at the Slayers, the birds decided that they had had enough. With a flurry of feathers and squawks, the bevy of beautiful birds took wing. Only a few left by way of the old familiar route out the air vent to the out-of-doors; most exited by way of the exciting new passage!

"Aaaahhhhhh!" screamed the audience first hit by the birds bursting onto the scene. Birds circled the theater, skimming over heads, and bashing into the closed windows. Subaru was standing, fixed on one spot in all the world, while a flock of pigeons buffeted him with the wind off their wings. Count D smiled. How fitting an accoutrement for that ethereal boy, a host of birds!

Zing! Ziiiiing! Thunk, thunk. Bullets sank into the wood beams.

"Get down!" Orcot yelled, yanking the count down by the hand and reaching over him for Subaru. But Subaru had seen a flicker of movement in his quarry, and had set off, so when Orcot lunged for him, he met only air and crashed over the crumpled Count D.

"Why, detective! This is a most inappropriate time for such affections!"

"Godammnit! Subaru!" Orcot ignored his infuriating fruity companion.

Ka-ziiiiing! More bullets ricocheted off a metal fixture.

"Let him go. His destiny is calling."

"F#$ destiny, he's—"

"You're needed here!" Count D pointed out the frightened innocents. He was right. There were lives here that could not defend themselves, and the other officers in the building needed his help.

Kaboom! The theater floodlight exploded spraying needle-like glass shards onto the people below.

Zelgadiss ducked. Rotting wood and dust were falling from overhead. Lina was shielded from the worst by Gourry on one side and Val on her other. Amelia he could not see. His stomach lurched as he calculated the size of the pile up approximated one girl.

"Amelia!" he shouted.

"Up here!"

Zel spun around to find Amelia safely atop a set stairway, arms loaded with assorted weaponry. Bobby appeared at her shoulder with more. "Gourry said 'be prepared' so we came ready to play." He brandished a meat cleaver like badminton racket, a frightening vision, Zelgadiss thought. "Watch your back!" Bobby warned him.

Like a top, Zel gyrated again, facing his first opponent.

"Not so tough without yer maaaa-gic," the thug taunted, seconds before Lina smashed five linear feet of plywood set over his head.

"No need to waste it on a light-weight like you!" Lina chortled and the mood was set. She was gonna have fun! "I laugh in the face of danger!" she yelled as she swung her make-shift weapon into the face of the next syndicate assailant.

Her frenzied activities bought the others the time to recover their hidden arms from the mutilated set. Gourry grinned as he hefted his mighty heirloom sword into the air. No one was gonna stop him now. "Arrrrrr...!" he bellowed, ripping through a curtain to reveal three wrong-doers about to attack.

"Gottem!" Amelia yelled from above just before showering them with buckets of sand from the counter weights.

Blinded temporarily, the bad guys thrashed about, enabling Zel time to appropriate the rope Lina had used in the previous act and cut it into manageable lengths with Val's pocket knife. "Hey, slackers! Give me a hand here!" Zel shouted to Xelloss and Val who had yet to enter the fray.

Together, they hog-tied the three men, in time to successfully dodge the next attack.

The Suzaku Seven's nemesis, Nakago, pushed his honey-colored locks out of his eyes and smirked, "Go for the girls first, but try not to harm the hot little red-head. She would be a challenge to break."

His men slunk off into the shadows heading toward Filia and Sylphiel. Two peeled off and made for Lina.

"I see them," Nuriko nodded to Tasuki, then closed up his cell phone. "That was Tamahome. He and Hotohori are in the building. They are going after Nakago."

"I'm on those two; we red-heads gotta stick together," Tasuki grinned and pulled out his ancestral iron-fan weapon. "You and Chiriko think you can handle the rest?"

Nuriko's phone buzzed again, "Yeah? Cool, meet up at the stage...ah...right." He smiled confidently, "Chichiri is here too. No problem." He pulled nunchaku (nunchucks) from beneath his Chinese-style jacket and nudged the youngest boy. "If you can push one of the girls out of the line of fire, it would be a help."

Chiriko was no fighter, but he was small and quick. Bravely he agreed. Amelia would need help, too. "Suzaku Seven will be triumphant!"

Tasuki loped up the aisle, hopping around other kids and dodging fire. A masked man outfitted as a ninja dashed past him. Like lightening, the tough red-head reached out with a free hand and grabbed the guy by his hood and spun him around. "Yo, buddy, what's yer hurry?" Tasuki asked wryly.

He didn't expect an answer or give the ninja a chance to recover. He pounded him over the head, ripped off his mask, and hung onto the limp body. "Hey, you a cop?" he called to the blonde man in uniform he noticed.

Ryo and Dee were on their way to the stage. Ryo pulled a stray pigeon feather out of his hair and nodded and took the dead weight out of Tasuki's arms. "Do you know who this one is?" Ryo asked looking at the ninja's face where the mask had been removed.

"Nah, he just got in my way. I do know the ones goin' after the girls on the stage. Leader's called Nakago!" he shouted as he bounded away.

Ryo started at the name. Nakago was an evil leader of a small syndicate offshoot and very hard to catch in the act of committing a crime. "Dee! Nakago's here...on the stage! I'll meet you up there after I lock up this guy."

"Hold on!" Dee collared a short, lavender-haired man. "Hey JJ. Gotta job for you."

JJ's eyes grew large with adoration. "Anything for you, Dee!"

"Good," he said. Dee lifted the limp body of the ninja from his partner's arms and loaded it upon JJ. "Take it away. Come on, Ryo. I've been dyin' to get a look at this Nakago dude!"

Poor little Jiyu Nanohana, known to her friends as Jubei-chan, had been looking forward to the musical so! She especially wanted to see that cute Zelgadiss guy again. She had first met him and Xelloss the summer before, at the beach. She was only in middle school at the time and was flattered when two older boys stopped their walk to chat with her. Even better, they recognized and acknowledged her existence when she ran into them at the Battle of the Bands. So when the word was that the syndicate would be a huge presence at the musical and that everyone with grudge against the Slayers would be out to kill them, well she knew she had to come prepared. At her side sat her preppy-looking blonde companion, Shiro.

A horrible noise from the stage was followed by the bizarre squawking and cooing of terrified birds. She ducked to avoid getting plastered by one.

"Watch out!"

But then, to add to the confusion, up beside Jubei-chan leaped a young man brandishing a long stick and aiming it at her head. The young man and Shiro looked identical!

"AHHHHHHHHH! Who is that?"

"M-my twin brother, Hagime!" her good friend shouted as he dashed to the side to avoid a blow. "We should try not to kill him!"

"That's all I wanted to know..." Jubei-chan smiled, and then tied on the silliest-looking, heart-shaped eye-patch. "Watch yourself!"

Shiro gasped as the young girl grew serious and adjusted her martial arts stance, and then warned her, "Be careful!"

He needn't have worried, though; little though she was, Jubei-chan was well trained. Hagime, having missed connecting with both Jubei and his brother on his first pass, was returning for another attempt on their lives, when he noticed the lovely eye-patch Jubei-chan was wearing.

"Huh?"

It was all the distraction necessary for Jiyu to have the upper hand. She tore the staff from Hagime's hands and broke it over his head before he could recover his composure.

"Jubei-chan! That was amazing!" Shiro gushed.

Jiyu, still blushing from his praise, removed the disturbing eye-patch, folded it neatly, and pocketed it. Still in tight control of her excitement, she unfastened her belt and held it out, "Secure his arms and if you can, use your own belt for his feet." She smiled and added brightly, "Then you can tell me all about him."

She smiled amid a light shower of bird feathers.

Despite the chaos of noise and birds, Keiichi and the 'goddesses' singing group never lost sight of their syndicate target, Mara. In fact, the moment the woman made her move toward the stage to join in the fighting, they all leaped to action.

"Got her!" Keiichi shouted aloud.

Urd smirked into the face of the buxom Mara, and tightened her hold on the awful woman's arm. "You are so over in this world."

Skuld gripped the woman's other arm and gave a little twist, "You made a mistake coming here today. The place is crawling with kids ...Hey, you! Gimme those head phones, you don't need 'em and I gotta tie this creep up."

BellDandy smiled at the boy, "Please? It would be a special favor to me." On anyone else, such a line would come across as saccharine coquettishness, but the guileless sincerity of her clear voice and divine features was far more effective.

"These old things? Sure, take 'em. Anything else I can getcha? A soda maybe? Wedding ring?" the kid gushed as he stuffed the headphones into her awaiting hands. He hardly noticed as a pigeon collided with his face, and then fluttered wildly off on another unfortunate course.

"Oh, no, thank you, but that was a kind offer!" BellDandy smiled shyly.

"Hurry up and bind her wrists before she slips away!" Urd urged her middle-younger sister.

"Whadda we gonna do with her now?" Keiichi asked. "Hey, we need help over here!"

Keiichi, too, had flagged down the kind-hearted Detective Ryo, who asked, "What's the problem?"

Dee was at his side in a flash, "Come on Ryo, we gotta go..." His eyes landed on Mara and stuck a moment. "Uh..."

Ryo frowned. Dee might have been his life companion and true love or whatever, but the man was not without his faults, one of which was an appreciation for a pretty face– male or female.

"JJ! Dee needs a hand here!" Ryo shouted. His eyes narrowed as he reached our and yanked (none too gently) a pigeon feather out of Dee's black hair. Only then did Dee blink and pull his eyes off the mesmerizing Mara, who was, of course, trading rather petty insults with the indulgent Urd, who next arrested his attention.

What JJ had done with his last captured thug, Ryo didn't know, but JJ's hands were free now. "I'm here!" he gasped breathlessly running to their aid.

Nothing was lost on Urd. Urd knew all. Seeing that all familiar lost-to-lust look on Dee's face, she knew he'd be worthless. She was afraid this 'JJ' guy would be putty in her hands too. "Here, take Mara to the lock up and be careful. She's a sneaky bitch," she warned him. "She'll try and distract you."

Ryo jumped to give JJ some support, even though he wasn't overly fond of (or even normally civil to) the young sharp-shooter. "Don't worry. Detective JJ is a professional. Very reliable!"

"T-thanks," JJ muttered, wondering why Ryo was defending him. "This woman has nothing to offer a guy like me. Come on."

BellDandy watched Mara's receding back, and then said, "He likes your friend, Dee, doesn't he? And so do you."

Ryo blushed and nodded, "Excuse me ladies, but we have an emergency call." He gave Dee a hard push, and then pulled out his gun. "Up there. On stage. The man's about to shoot. See if you can stop him, while I prepare to take him down. I'd rather not start firing in this crowded place."

JJ was good, but Ryo was better, the best sharpshooter on either his current Seyruun or past Sairaag force. He found a seat to steady himself and leveled the gun at his target. He held it in check and smiled as he recognized two of the Slayers take care of his target effortlessly. No worry; there were plenty more.

Filia tested the balance of the ten-pound mace, swinging it rhythmically back and forth. Unfortunately for the poor dolt who was creeping up from the side thinking that she was some 'dumb blond', Filia had just determined that the mace felt 'good' and ready for a hardy practice stroke. "Eeeeeeeeeeeyah!" she screeched, letting loose with all her pent up aggressiveness.

"Ahhhh!" the man hollered as the massive blur of metal flew past his nose and embedded itself in the masonry next to his head.

"Nuts...missed," Filia said.

"Not really," Xelloss pointed out as the decorative plaster arch, collapsed, trapping the syndicate man.

Using his staff, the ordinarily easy-going priest, Miroku, batted away another black-clad nimble-limbed fighter and two wild-eyed birds. "Annoying twerps! How many more are there?"

Ranma punched and kicked two more out of the way. "How the hell would I know? Hundreds! I can take them all, if you get tired."

"I meant the men, not the birds!" Miroku snapped back.

"I did, too!" Ranma frowned.

"No need for heroic boasting," Sango said sharply. She was his near-equal at martial arts. "Call me, Sango. You fight well, by the way."

"And er...thanks, I'm Ranma, of the Tendo School of martial arts. You...you're not too bad yourself, for a girl, but I'm just getting warmed up here. You from Sano and Xelloss' dojo?"

"Yes. There'll be plenty for us all, if I recognize the Saimyoushou soldiers of Naraku."

"Naraku? Are you kidding? What kinda name is that? His name means like 'Hades'! Some guy's got a name like that?" Ranma snorted.

"Ugh!" Miroku dashed another man over the head and pushed him away. "That's the syndicate for you. And... He's not some guy. He's evil incarnate. I think the only thing that Inu and his brother can agree on, is that. Watch out, here come more! Better warn your friend!"

"Warn who?" Ranma reeled around, but could only find his some-time competitor, some-time friend Ryoga. "Him? He's not my friend, but... Oh...well... Ryoga! Heads up! Bad dudes in black!"

Sango looked over her shoulder, "There are too many for us. They swarm like insects! We need everyone from the dojo, and yours too, Ranma!"

"Yeah, when Sano gets done playing with that stringy-haired dude over there, he better get his butt over here!" Ranma yelled and punched out another of Naraku's minions.

Inu was applying all his fencing skills to lead a blood-thirsty attack through the center of the stinging, irritating, Saimyoushou fighters. His flowing white hair whipped through the air, his speedy movements becoming blurred if you were attempting to watch.

While other battles played out around him, Inu moved forward with the determination of a demon. He felt a most terrible evil coming for him.

"She's getting away!" Ami cried out to her friends and fellow sailing-team members. "I can't see her...nothing but birds...ahhhhhh!"

Bunny took a flying leap but Beryl McQueen had already disappeared into the crowd. "After her!"

Bunny spun around and headed in one direction, but was brought up short by a hard body. "Sorry! Oh, officer! Over there, she's getting away! Come with me!"

"Uh, that's _Detective_ , missy and... who are you chasing?" Orcot asked. He was exasperated by yet another frantic kid giving him orders but no respect.

"Beryl McQueen!"

"Huh? Oh! We've been after her for years. Never could catch'er with her hands dirty. I'm on it!" he yelled and looked back at Count D long enough to warn him, "Don't YOU go anyplace!" Then he thought again and added, "On second thought, you're the wild animal guy, do something about these damned birds!"

The count watched a pair of pigeons circle over the spot Subaru had been, and then turn away. "Interesting... not your usual pigeon varieties..."

Sylphiel observed the evil witch of a woman, known as Beryl McQueen, with consternation. Beryl's back was turned her way. She seemed unaware of Sylphiel's presence.

"Take 'em down!" Lina shouted to all in general.

Okay, Sylphiel smiled to herself calculatingly. She didn't know who she was, but Sylphiel knew a Lina-order when she heard it and a syndicate tramp when she saw one. Of course, she interpreted the order to mean something different from what Lina had intended. From the depths of her costume repair kit kept conveniently at hand, Sylphiel withdrew her scissors and snipped the woman's spaghetti straps in two, thus freeing the underworld criminal's dress to succumb to the force of gravity.

"Oooh-oh!" McQueen screamed. Her gun dropped from her hands as they flew up to protect her modesty.

A rainbow-assortment of girls in color-coded sailing costumes, the Seyruun High Sailing Team, of course, rushed her in her defenseless state. They tied her in shipmans' knots in about the time it took for Val to get on the scene.

"You meddlesome CHILDREN! How dare you—"

"Oh stuff it, you old hag," black-tressed Rei gave her a little kick with her red spike-heel.

"Hey, we've got a place to put this kinda trash," Val offered, and they readily agreed to turn her over to him. There were other operatives for them to find!

Val swept the gun off the floor and the woman off her feet in one motion. "Keep your hands where I can see 'em," he smiled lasciviously as his eyes swept over her ample figure. He tightened his grip as he carried her off to the temporary holding cell Rodimus had fixed up in one of their band's vans. However, it wasn't one of their vans, as it turned out, but another agency's altogether...

"Watch out!" John ducked below flocks of birds trapped at the back of the stage. He pulled Miwan to the floor beside him. "This can't be happening! Tell me... ahhhhch!" His voice ratcheted up a notch or two, "Tell meee, those aren't real bullets!"

"Those are real birds. I bet the bullets are, too! Where is everyone?"

A shrill shriek followed by a shout came from nearby.

"My ears!" Miwan wailed.

"Take that you ugly twerp! And that! And that! Ha, ha! I beat Lina Inverse with that back hand; I'll have no trouble with you!" Martina emerged from the brightly lit front stage area, clobbering a gunman over the head with a hunk of the set, which she had fashioned into a racket shape, and then dropped him at their feet. "Don't let him get away!" she ordered the two young men manically.

But before she turned around, another masked thug had her in a headlock, gun at her temple. "Guhhhhh..." the man gasped as a sharp blade first slapped away the gun from his hand then nicked his arm moments later. A strong arm held the blade poised to skewer the fellow if he so much as blinked.

"Oh, Zangalus! You saved me!" Martina cried out changing from the pugnacious pugilist to the damsel in distress in a heartbeat.

Miwan rolled his eyes, "Women!"

John chuckled but stopped when Miwan told him to "Take off your shirt!" Was that a little...forward for his shy companion—not to mention his bizarre timing!

Miwan repeated his order, "Hurry! We'll tear them into strips and use them to bind up these wicked, wicked men. There's one for each of us...and one to share."

John smiled weakly, "Okay, but I'm still uncomfortable with all this. I didn't ever really get what Xelloss was saying about the syndicate, until now."

"I don't think anyone but the Slayers could have, but look how prepared everyone looks out there!"

Zel spied Amelia and dashed up to her. "Back-to-back!" he shouted over the din.

She sighed, "You're getting into this!"

With a smirk, Zel said, "Well, _you're _the one always wanting to _do_ things together!"

"Not fighting a bunch of criminals out to kill me!" she grinned and jabbed at his ribs with an elbow.

"First things first," he chuckled, and then blushed at her reaction.

"Oh, look, Zelgadiss! It's Chiriko!"

Zel took one look at the younger boy and knew it was far too dangerous a place for him. "You should get outside and out of here!" Zel shouted.

"I came to warn you. Nakago's men are all around you. They will kill you or take you away and enslave you, Miss Amelia!" After making his announcement, Chiriko dove at Amelia's feet, bowling her over.

Zel sighed, _as if I need you to tell me... _Bullets whirred past Zel's head and buried into the pine framework of the set. "Damnit!" His eyes sought out the source. "Got you," he muttered as he pulled out a pen knife. Expertly, Zel threw his knife seven feet across the stage. It lodged above the man's wrist, impaling it to a wooden beam. "Get his gun, Amelia!"

She didn't waste time answering. She clenched the gun in one hand and his arm in the other and bit down with all her might on his wrist. Amelia's nerve didn't break. When he'd released the firearm, she smashed him over the head with it, rendering him unconscious. The Hammer of Justice takes on many forms... With the gun in her hand, she looked about for Zelgadiss. But something blocked her way.

"Tiiba!" her voice choked out. The last time she had seen the graduate student, had been outside Rezo's home laboratory, standing guard in a chicken costume.

Zelgadiss heard her strangled cry. Why was Tiiba here? Then he noticed the young man was hailing a horde from out of the shadows while holding Amelia in a headlock. He also spied a flash of purple out of the corner of his eye. "Xelloss! Over there! Help Amelia!"

"OH ho ho ho hooooo! You just try and touch my person you bastard!" Nahga chortled over the roar of voices. "The White Serpent has the moves of a ninja!"

Her attacker did a double-take. That woman could never, _ever_ be mistaken for a ninja, not in anyone's wildest imagination...except hers, clearly. And in that moment of distraction, she kneed the man in the groin and started laughing. She would have been better served if she had been more observant. Lucky for her, Xelloss had been battling away a semi-automatic from the hands of an unknown assailant aiming at Nahga's back. One more thrust and the man was coughing up blood in the floorboards. But two more took his place.

"I'll take it from here!" a familiar voice shouted in his ear.

Xelloss twisted his head to the side, "Nuriko! Thanks! Two more, one's still armed." and danced out of his way. He heard Zel's voice and looked around for Amelia. His eyes narrowed when he recognized Tiiba. "I thought we got rid of you before, Chicken Little!"

Lina saw the one man slinking behind the set, his gun muzzle targeting her. She leaped to the side, and landed on her feet running. With her two-headed axe aloft, she ignored all the action going on around her and fixated on the gunman. It was all in the timing, she knew. She had to reach him before he re-aimed and fired. The axe blade had to begin its descent at just the right time. Too fast, and she'd be off balance; too slow and she'd be an open target again. She needed a few seconds more time. Then she thought of something and began to chant the line from her musical, the words of a spell. She shouted them loud enough for the man to hear: "...darkness beyond twilight...crimson beyond blood that flows..."

The gunman's resolve wavered as he looked up at her blade expectantly. Would it burst into flame and pulse energy waves and sparks like it had done on stage in the musical? He didn't know how they pulled off the special effects, and supposed the axe was a phony that blew the fireworks out its end. By the time he had made his decision to hold his ground, that Lina's fancy weapon wasn't any threat to him, she was on him. Her timing was perfect. The axe dropped, edges to the sides, flat side hard onto his head. His gun fell from his hand and he fell to the floor beside it. Satisfied, Lina nabbed the gun, hefted the heavy axe over her shoulder, and stood a moment to catch her breath.

She hadn't seen the second gunman.

Lina was fortunate, though, because Tasuki had. In a quick smooth movement, Tasuki pulled out a switchblade from his pants pocket. "Bastard!" he growled and launched himself at the man's back. He drove the blade into the man's thigh, which brought him down howling. Lina's old friend brought down the injured gunman and disarmed him in seconds with a few blows from his fan.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lina could make out another nasty-sounding fight further off. With some concentration, she determined that her buds Van and Allen Schezar had everything under control. The Guy-melef gang was going down hard. _Was that Celena with a knife in her teeth? _

Everywhere, it seemed, kids in the audience popped up brandishing weapons. Lina couldn't decide whether to be thrilled by the show of support or disappointed about the draw of her most excellent musical. She located a still-operating microphone, thanks to Bobby, and at the top of her voice shouted, **"Did ANYONE come just to see the musical?"**

Subaru had. But nothing was farther from his thoughts now. The chaos around him seemed silent, calm. There was nothing that could harm him in his single-minded universe. The vibrations of streaking bullets and birds seemed to veer around him. There was nothing in the universe but him and his quarry. Nothing. He could not even allow himself to think about it. There were just two, just the yin and the yang, the dark and the light, and it didn't even matter which one he was anymore! It didn't even matter!

There he was. On the catwalk. Observing with the mask of simple amusement. But that was something humans felt, and he no longer counted as a human. Subaru was drawn inexorably towards him, and that meant up the rails of the rickety construct.

The catwalk bridge suspended from the rafters over the stage was used to reach the lights when bulbs need changing and to operate the trap door. When the attic floor had given way, it took the catwalk along with it, partly. One end had been caught in the trap door lever, it was loosened, dangerous. Seishirou Sakurazuka did not care, and Subaru Sumeragi did not notice.

At ground-level, the Slayers and their friends and acquaintances battled their corresponding Syndicate goons in an almost light-hearted way. Most of the true evil in the stage area had been cleared out already, and the remaining trash was easy enough for some well-prepared teenagers and a few policemen to finish off. In the rafters, it was different.

"So you've come to this party too, Subaru-kun." Light-hearted mocking over a deep emotionless chasm.

"Do not mock me." Tightly controlled, an emotionless mask over deep and contorted feeling.

"But you're just so...cute," Seishirou smiled. "You've been intent on me for so long, you noticed nothing else. Your devotion. It's cute, Subaru-kun."

"It's not devotion. It's vengeance!" Subaru cried.

"Vengeance for your dear sweet sister, who I killed?" Seishirou's infuriating, meaningless smile broadened.

"No! I—I—"the mask was off. Subaru felt raw and exposed and alone and the world was jagged and cruel and everywhere around him and—

"No? Then it is even more like you, Subaru-kun, little Messiah-complex that you are. You would not put he deaths of the faceless others over your own twin sister?"

"No! You're wrong!"

Seishirou seemed genuinely surprised. "You wish to kill me."

"Yes! That's all I have—the wish to kill you. That's all I am now, Seishirou! I'm not Subaru-kun anymore, I'm not him anymore!"

"You're wrong. You're just the same."

"Then why are you here!" Subaru railed. "If I'm still not worth killing, then why did you show up to this? Everyone else involved in our affairs is far away—the Chi no Ryo and the Ten no Ryu—you can't be here for the Syndicate who hired you before!"

"Worth killing? What do you mean, 'worth killing'?" Seishirou asked, a chuckle in his voice as if indulgently asking a child about its quaint notions of the universe.

"Why did you kill Hokuto? Why not me! Why didn't you come back for me! Are you listening to me!"

Seishirou's attention had been stolen by the retort of a gun somewhere on the floor, and he threw himself and Subaru down just in time. The bullet whistled through the air Subaru had previously inhabited.

Unfortunately, the violent movement was the straw that broke the camel (or catwalk)'s back...

"Lina, there you are! Get that lever!" Val was shouting at her and pointing.

Lina tore her attention away from the Van and the other 'kids from Atlantis', "Huh? How tall do ya think I am? If I could fly-yyyyyy...er..."

"Now ya can reach it!" Gourry panted. He had covered twenty feet of stage in two seconds to lift Lina over his head, and launch her upwards another ten feet.

"Got it!" she yelled and held on to the lever as Gourry stepped back. She fell fast, but continued to hold onto the metal bar until she was brought up abruptly just before her feet hit the floor.

A gaping hole opened beneath a syndicate operative's feet and down he went. Lina didn't want him to escape, so she released the lever, causing the trap door to snap back into place partway—the man's shoulders were held in a vise-like grip. Lina stood over him and smirked, "Nearly chopped off yer head! Heh, heh..."

Zel heard the creak overhead. Gourry saw the sudden movement. Together they shouted, "Move it! Get **off** stage!"

Martina and Zangalus had fought their way backstage where they encountered Miwan and John and their prisoners. When he saw the slipping catwalk, Zangalus slashed an opening in the back wall and shouted, "Through there!"

Val nabbed Lina with one lanky arm and Nahga with the other and dove for the orchestra pit. Amelia tucked and rolled into the wings where Bobby and his entire band were hovering, weapons at the ready. Zel and Sylphiel lunged to the other side opposite Amelia, knocking Filia off her feet and taking her with them. Xelloss grabbed Grauscherra and followed Val and Lina over the side.

"Goourreeeeeee!" Lina screamed. The dust hadn't settled before she was on her feet, and Val's leg, climbing back onto the demolished stage. He had been an arm's length away when Val's arm wrapped around her. Now he wasn't. "**_Gourry!_**"

* * *

From the Authors: 

Yes, this did take a long time to come out. Thanks to an unfortunate series of computer failures, this and several other chapters of stories were lost. The writing process is hard enough at times, but having to re-create past work is...awful. Nevertheless, we got it done and it was longer than before so... chapter 49 became 49 and 50! That means there will be another chapter to this story. After that, look forward to SHJ: The Ten Year Reunion, which covers the time from the musical until that event. It will be romantic in nature, rather than a mystery-action type story. Thanks your patience and for reading and reviewing this long story!

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx, Summer Special, and NEXT. Pictures for other stories are associated with their links.

KS

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 49.


	50. The Musical: Finale

**Seyruun High Jinx—NEXT**

**Chapter 50 **

**The ****Musical: Finale. **

**"I pretty much try to stay in a constant state of confusion just because of the expression it leaves on my face." – Johnny Depp**

* * *

Val nabbed Lina with one lanky arm and Nahga with the other and dove for the orchestra pit. Amelia tucked and rolled into the wings where Bobby and his entire band were hovering, weapons at the ready. Zel and Sylphiel lunged to the other side opposite Amelia, knocking Filia off her feet and taking her with them. Xelloss grabbed Grauscherra and followed Val and Lina over the side.

"Goourreeeeeee!" Lina screamed. The dust hadn't settled before she was on her feet, and Val's leg, climbing back onto the demolished stage. He had been an arm's length away when Val's arm wrapped around her. Now he wasn't. "Gourry!"

Zel scrambled out and over the rubble, "Any sign?"

"No, damnit!" she snarled.

"There!" Zel hopped to a portion of the catwalk. "Gourry?"

He heard a muffled reply. "Lina, he's under here!"

"Gimme a hand!" Lina shouted as Val hobbled over.

Zangalus heard the cries for Gourry from the back. "Stay hidden," he warned his charges, and turned back to find an ashen-faced young Joey huddling at his elbow. "You, too! Get in there! And stay in there where it's safe!" Zangalus shouted, and then rushed back to the calamity to facilitate any rescue attempts.

Xelloss materialized out of thin air and began working his staff under the weight and using it as a lever to pry up a segment of the walk. Val wedged first his shoulder, then hunks of brick and rubble under the walk, lifting it more.

"Zangalus, good... ugh... I could use more leverage on that side," Xelloss grunted.

"The Howling Sword was not designed for this," Zangalus began, but one look at Val's fierce eyes and Xelloss' deadly ones and he demurred, "but it will serve..." He shoved his treasured, heirloom sword beneath the layers of wood and heaved for all his worth.

"Keep going," Zel called. "I can almost fit!" He pushed himself halfway beneath the raised part. "Gourry, can you...? I see you! All right, give us a bit to free up more of this."

Zel slithered out. "He's trapped, but he managed to get his sword up in time. It's holding the weight off of him...and that syndicate guy who was trapped in the floor. He saved _him_."

"Idiot..." Lina mumbled, but her watery eyes said 'Proud of ya!'

Filia and Grauscherra pulled a few of the lengthier 2x4's from the rubble and added their lever power to Xelloss'. Amelia and Sylphiel found boxes which Zel and Lina shoved under the broken, but now slowly rising catwalk.

"That's... great. I... can get out... myself," Gourry gasped between coughs.

Gourry brushed of the dust and splinters, "Well, guess I was lucky."

Lina smacked him. "Never...EVER play the hero like that again—do you hear me! That piece of filth you 'saved' was happy to just kill any one of us. What if you had gotten...hurt bad or killed? What would we have done without you?"

Gourry was saddened. "I'm sorry if I worried ya."

"Yeah well... we got work ta do here. See if you can cut me a path over there, where Inu and those dudes are...uh...no... something's up."

When they cast around to look for the 'something,' they found it being enacted in the shadows beyond the rubble.

Seishirou had caught Subaru in his arms, as he had so many times in happier days. Blood covered the left side of his face, flowing from his eye. Shrapnel from the wreckage had injured him gruesomely, but he still smiled. "It's just like old times, isn't it, Subaru-kun? I'm always saving you."

"Seishirou!" Subaru was crying, unable to get physically free of his grasp, but obviously under even worse emotional constrictions.

The Slayers could only watch.

"I'm always saving you," Seishirou mused. He had a knife to Subaru's throat. He knelt and laid Subaru down, but kept a hold of his wrists. He still had the knife. Subaru twisted his arm, got his own fingers around the handle.

Seishirou was so shocked that he didn't even try to prevent it. Instead of pushing the weapon away, Subaru had jerked it forward. Subaru drove the blade into his own left eye.

Sylphiel screamed.

Seishirou's confusion was no mask. He dropped the weapon, he dropped Subaru's wrists. Released, Subaru staggered to his feet, armed, and then asked, "Am I strong enough now? I am different? Am I worth killing now, now that I can kill you!"

Seishirou smiled. "Subaru-kun."

"Why! Why did you say those things to me when you never cared about anything in your life! Why did you trick me! If you wanted to kill me, all you had to do was wait in the shadows!"

"I didn't know if I wanted to kill you or not. I had to find out."

"Now are we the same? Now are we equal? _Now_ is it okay?" Subaru was still talking, his voice shaky and raw.

"You really want to kill me? Or do you want me to kill you?"

"I don't know! I don't even know anymore!" Subaru screamed. "I don't even know who I am!"

Seishirou touched the bloody mess on the left half of the shorter, younger man's face. "Your sister said something before she died," he said, off-handedly.

The shaking, bloodied, wild-seeming Subaru gasped.

"Dear Hokuto. She was such a character," Seishirou chuckled. "She told me that if I ever came for you, she'd haunt me forever. I told her, 'isn't that a long time to spend with someone you hate?' But she replied, 'I still don't hate you. Even after I know the truth about you. I still can't hate you, because I know how kind you used to be to us.' Isn't that sweet, how humans can disregard such grave things, can live happily in denial?"

"I can't" Subaru shuddered. "I can't anymore! I want...all I want..."

"She told me that if I tried to kill you...well, she told me what else would happen. I wonder...is what a person says before they die true? Can you trust them?" he mused. "She saved you, of course, but only because I played along with her. I'll play along with her now..."

Zolf had been busy at his observation post outside the building when he saw the pigeons escaping through broken and breaking windows-- then he heard the catwalk collapse. He was preparing to barge past the side stage door to rescue and protect the kids inside, when his 'boss' notified him to hold his position longer.

"Rodimus can handle things out here. Let me confirm their condition inside," Zolf added in desperation. He was already running into the hall by the time he was given permission.

Unfortunately, that was just the break Naraku had been waiting for. "Time to bring this to a conclusion..."

It could only have taken an instant. It seemed the entire world was in slow motion, suspended animation while only those two moved. It could only have taken an instant. But it changed things irreparably. Seishirou sprang up, another knife, concealed up his left sleeve, now a flash in his hand, streaking towards Subaru. Like a silent movie, or a perpetually performed marionette show, or a force of nature, it happened. Seishirou

—still smiling so beguilingly, like a cat seems to while it means nothing of the sort, like a death's head moth has the marking of a skull on its back but does not intend to be a memento mori—

came forward and Subaru

—crushed and shaking and broken and changed and empty like a leaf still clinging to a winter branch, needing only to break that final tie with its former life before it can be set free, free to—

instinctively brought his arms out to protect himself and—

Seishirou made just a little gasp as the knife plunged through his own breast.

Zolf crashed through the partially blocked doorway in time to witness the two men struggling. However, there was nothing Zolf could do to help either man when he unexpectedly had his hands full of Nakago-- cuffing him Nakago while Hotohori and Tamahome sat on his head and legs and preparing to shuffle him outside. Then his heart sank. This was not the worst of the lot; an even more terrible syndicate superior had arrived. How had Naraku entered the building without his knowing? He shoved Nakago harder, "Move it!" At least he knew where to direct the incoming reinforcements, now.

Inu met his archenemy with teeth bared and began pummeling at Naraku, but was receiving more in return. He was making no headway in subduing the man. "He's stronger than the last time we met," Inu confided to Miroku.

"He's wearing us down, he and his minions. I can't tell how the other battles are going, but I wish we could get some help. I'm also limited by this ACE bandage on my wrist."

He motioned as if to remove it, when his arm was blocked by Sango's hand. "It could cause serious injury if you do that. You should rest it as is."

Miroku laughed in astonishment, "You DO care!"

Sango blushed. As much as she hated to admit it, she really did like the young priest from the White Shrine. She knew he liked her, too, but he had left a trail of girlfriends behind him at his high school and was afraid his interest in her would wane with greater intimacy. She never wanted to be left behind again. "Watch out!" she shouted.

Rodimus was directing the operations outside, loading syndicate captives into CIA armored vans for transport to interrogation cells. Zolf, had just stuffed his prisoner into the van when his boss signaled him 'Backup incoming.' He was promptly put in charge of a special operations team which had just rolled up to join the party. Their task: secure the 'Dolphin' syndicate leader. The problem: no one could identify him or her. Zolf knew Naraku was a more immediate threat and was waiting for the 'go ahead' to take him out as well.

"There are syndicate parasites, fugitives from the law, and many unknown mercenaries attacking the Slayers kids inside, but none of them are this 'dolphin' character you want. And if you are not careful, you might hit one of the good guys fighting for the Slayers, or an innocent bystander, although we have nearly cleared them from the area. You can't tell the good guys from the bad in there...and you have no idea who you're even after, correct? No, I can't just let you start firing when you don't know who the targets are! Hold on..." Zolf broke from his special-ops team to reply to his boss, "Yes? Yes, ma'am!" He gestured to the men to follow him, "All right, we secure Naraku first, know who he is? Good, we're goin' in, then."

Mr. Rossburg had been enjoying a nap in the back room behind the stage, when a hunk of the wall caved in at his feet, not far from the crate he had lugged in. "W-what!"

"Stay in there where it's safe!" shouted a voice.

A green-haired, long-legged girl, a pale-blonde haired and very long-legged boy, a long, black-haired, short-legged boy, and a flustered, average-looking young man all popped through the crude opening and crammed into the small room. "Hi!" long-haired Miwan said in greeting. "Sorry to disturb you, Sir!"

Mr. Rossburg struggled to his feet. "You don't look like one of those Slayers kids. What are doing disturbing their musical?"

"Have you been watching any of the play? Um, like the ending? It's like all the nutcases with a gripe are pickin' this day to fight them," John replied. He wrapped an arm protectively around Joey; both were frightened to death by all the madness, not excited.

"No wonder that little Lina girl wanted me to bring these," Rossburg patted the crate affectionately.

Martina nosed around to the other side and read the lettering stamped onto the end. "Explosives...EXPLOSIVES! You brought explosives! Are you crazy!" she started to shriek.

Rossburg smiled, "I...am a director. We are _all_ a bit crazy. Now, listen carefully while I explain how to employ these."

"Explosives?" Jillas crept out of a discarded carton once holding thousands of plastic, disposable drinking cups. "Hey, Gravos! Someone was holdin' out on us. There's more!"

Martina narrowed her eyes at them both, demanding, "Where have_ you two_ been? We could have used you out there fighting!"

Rossburg patted both Martina and Jillas on the back, "No time for harsh words kids. It's time for all good men to come to the aid of their compatriots! These are mine, by the way, and very dangerous."

Jillas' eyes grew saucer-like. He was impressed. "This...is a beautiful arsenal..." he gasped.

Rossburg grinned, "The best. Now as to the deployment..."

"Where are you, Grauscherra and Metallium? Afraid to show yourselves?" The voice came from a far too young-looking man with delicate features and long, black wavy hair. Naraku.

"Hey, you! I'm the one yer fightin'!" Inu shouted, directing another offensive sword attack at the disinterested man.

Naraku deflected the smaller young man's blade effortlessly, sending Inu head over heals into his friends, and knocking Sango and Miroku flat. Once disengaged from that bunch, Naraku concentrated on locating the objects of his obsession.

Where were those irritating, troublesome children? A Gaav, a Metallium, another bloody Inverse, that worthless Grauscherra, and the Red Priest's heir? All his competition in one convenient location– how nice.

Amelia watched the pool of blood creep towards her shoe. It seemed the safest thing to look at. What was happening at the source of the flow was too personal, too horrible for her eyes.

"All I want...all I ever wanted..." Subaru intoned. Disbelief made him incongruous with reality. Seishirou was on his knees, slumped over him. The hand that had held the knife held only a bunch of Subaru's jacket in the back. His other arm was also wrapped around the shell-shocked boy. He clutched him tightly, driving the blade in deeper. Embracing Subaru and his death, Seishirou still smiled.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never wanted—I--!" Subaru stuttered, tears washing his cheeks. "All I wanted...all...I..."

"Subaru-kun. You are too kind. Too kind and gentle for this world," Seishirou coughed. Still smiling, smiling...damned villain! That one can smile, and smile, and be a villain!

"All I wanted was to hear...was for you to mean..." Subaru wilted under the weight of Seishirou, his fading body and his words and his deeds and his past, their past, the fantasy they had lived in...it was all too heavy.

As he fell to the floor over his killer, feeling his heart giving up the struggle to keep pumping blood that was mostly escaping already, Seishirou whispered something to Subaru that no one else would ever hear.

Zel closed his eyes so that they wouldn't betray him. He'd been so composed though the whole fight, but this... He'd seen it coming, before any of the others (except Lina, of course) had even suspected. For someone as selfless as Subaru to be betrayed so utterly...it could only drive him to the path of tragedy. Right? Or could it have all been prevented if Zel had said...something?

While the Slayers were gaping at the horror playing out on the stage floor, Naraku approached in a whisper of silk-against-silk.

"Oh my. And I thought this might be a challenge," Naraku said in a tone betraying an emotion akin to boredom. He looked at Lina and said, "I had hoped Zazan would have done the trick, but he proved to be worthless. Where did he go, I wonder? I don't see Miss Sherra here either."

Grauscherra spoke up, "You're speaking of Sherra, my assistant? She's been missing since the early afternoon. What do know about her? Who in _hell_ are you?"

Naraku graced him with a slant-wise stare, "In Hell? You have me confused with that child, Phibrizzo. I 'loaned' Zazan to Sherra to speed up my fact-finding mission. She didn't know. She believed he was from you; my doing. I had hoped, ultimately, that together they would delay Miss Inverse's unfortunate musical long enough to give my other operatives time to get into place here."

"Keep him talking," Xelloss whispered to Lina. He had noticed with curiosity that the man's kimono was loose, draping over a slender form, and, on further scrutiny, something else. Naraku was wearing something bulky beneath his showy attire that set off alarms in Xelloss' mind.

"I can't believe that you were behind that Rossburg play fiasco!" Lina shouted, drawing a malevolent gaze her way.

"I know nothing about that," he snapped. Collecting himself, Naraku dismissed that train of thought, "It doesn't matter. They failed."

"He asked you a question, buster," Lina pointed out. "Who are you, which syndicate goon do you call 'master'—or was one of these guys here today your slime-lord?"

If her words hurt his ego, he didn't show it. "Today? These 'people'? Just a few miscellaneous mercenaries I collected, mostly leftover minions of Phibrizzo, Zelas, Darkstar, and Dolphin, even a few of Gaav's followers."

"Which makes you...?" Lina stood her ground.

"Naraku."

"I'll bet," Lina sniffed. "You're a Dolphin toady then?"

If Lina's point was to get a reaction out of the man, she succeeded.

His posture stiffened measurably. "Dolphin... is in an asylum. Dauphin du Mer, or the Deep Sea Dauphin family was up until recently headed by Merasea Dauphin. She sent out orders to ID you all, trying to locate her remaining family to take over her...estates...but her confusing orders got twisted."

"By you, no doubt," Lina said. "So, the Dolphin position got usurped by you...Naraku. Were you the one who sent Tiiba and Halciform after us?"

"Yes, to recruit Mr. Greywords and I added a little incentive for them to kill any of you not under some kind of protection."

"You mean Sylphiel and Gourry. Pickin' on the weak, huh?"

"I'm not weak, Lina..." Gourry started to argue.

"Picking _off _the weak, we say." Naraku circled around closer to Lina and nudged the fallen body of Seishirou. "Such a waste. His meeting you all last summer at the beach was such a _fortunate _accident. What a wonderful connection for me to use, but...I hadn't counted on his one fatal weakness... or that boy's surprising...volition."

Subaru merely stared, silently, under the weight of the dead man. If he heard Naraku's revelations, he did not indicate any comprehension.

Xelloss had managed to slip behind Gourry and caught Zolf's attention. "Clear the room," he mouthed and mimed. "Fast!"

Zolf understood and called in other units to clear all the remaining people from the area. Aside from Zolf and the special ops team, Naraku, the Slayers, Bobby's band, Kiki up in the recording booth, and the fallen Subaru and Seishirou, there were no others remaining in the hall-- that they knew of.

"Seems to me your plans have been all failures, let downs, and defeats," Lina mused confidently.

"Until now..." Naraku began.

"Especially now! You are up against the mighty Lina Inverse and her notorious band of renegades, the Slayers!"

"The Slayers of the UNJUST!" Amelia held forth. "This is for Alfred, who you used!" Naraku hadn't taken the 'credit' for that, but she needed to blame someone.

"Heh, you've wasted too much time. I can't believe you just stood here and told us all this stuff," Lina said.

"Waste? Never. I told you all this because it is already too late for you to do anything. Everything was already set in motion. It was me who has been delaying your exit." Naraku broke down and allowed a sickly smile to spread across his face.

Lina didn't wait for his attack to come. She jumped onto his back and starting pounding him for all she was worth. He was prepared for something like that, because he moved lightening fast, miraculously nabbing her by the wrists and throwing her over his back forward so that she was standing, dazed in front of him. He whipped her around, gripping her securely and nearly strangling her.

"Hall is cleared, but we can't get a clear shot," Zolf alerted his boss.

"Very well. I left the tower and am on the roof...I... am in position. Get all those kids out now. I'm coming in," his boss ordered.

Listening in from behind the stage area was making Mr. Rossburg antsy. "We shouldn't wait much longer."

"I say we start now," Jillas said excitedly waving a few small bombs in the air.

"Well, start at the edges to frighten away any kids, then we'll come up from behind to set off the heavy artillery," the ex-play-director agreed.

Zolf dispatched the orders and, encountering Xelloss first, told him to pass the word then get a move on, also. Xelloss glanced up to see a special ops man removing Kiki to safety, while others were secreting the Flying Figs kids out the side door.

BOOM!

Xelloss jumped a foot when a cherry bomb blasted a yard away, but he regained his composure and moved toward his goal. Xelloss' eyes met Naraku's. "Let her go. Take me instead."

"Oh no...Mr. Metallium. Only for this one," he jerked Lina tighter, "will I be able to flush out all the undercover agents. I want them all destroyed."

KABOOM! BOOM! Jillas was busy.

"But how--?" Xelloss' eyes opened wide with complete comprehension. He had been right about the heavy belt Naraku wore hidden, wrapped around his waist. He had to buy them a little more time to free Lina and get clear. "You are going to blow yourself up? How does that get you dominion over the syndicate, unless you think you can run it from hell like your name suggests?"

"What makes you think I am the real..." But the rest of Naraku's words were cut off by the splintering of glass.

A woman swinging from a rope broke through the upper windows feet-first. Her momentum hurtled her forwards into Naraku. She expertly tore Lina from his arms and delivered a blow to his chin and kick to his guts in passing.

Xelloss was on the woman in a second, about to tear her arms out of their sockets if she didn't free Lina instantly.

Lina was nonplussed only a moment, and then gasped aloud, **_"Mother?"_**

"M-mother...?" Xelloss parroted.

"Not yours, MINE!" Lina bellowed and push them both off her.

But further discussion was cut off when Martina ran out screaming, "Get out of the way! Big explosives!" Gravos, Rossburg, John, Joey, and Miwan were right behind her.

Zolf pushed the comatose Subaru into Xelloss' arms, and then quickly knelt and scooped up the body of Seishirou. "Run!"

They all did, except for Naraku. He was laughing hysterically and shouting, "You're too late! You are all too—"

The stage enfolded upon itself, then blew out in clouds of explosive percussion. What windows had been intact before, were now blown out with the force of a fiery hot, gale-like wind. Deadly shafts of splintered wood hurled past where the stage had been, carrying snagged pieces of curtain fluttering like tiny red flags. Dust, smoke, noise, heat, and pain filled the auditorium room, and then it was over.

A crater marked where Naraku had last stood. Sooty smudges traced the bare ground and remaining concrete walls near the front entrance where a multitude of explosives had blown out from behind the stage. Of the set and costumes, the ticket office and refreshments stand, the velvet covered flip-down seats, sound system, computer-controlled lights, and video recording room--there was no sign.

Naraku was gone—blown to bits, but the Slayers and all their friends were saved.

Kiki got it all on video tape, up until the explosion, which she recorded from a distance outside the building. The making of the musical, the practices, the entire performance, and best of all, the exciting finale were all recorded for posterity. Now she was taping the wrap-up and interviewing as many persons-of-interest as possible.

The big story: Lina floored, mystified, and in awe.

Zolf and Rodimus were in tight communication with their boss, directing other agents as to the incarceration of so many captured men and women. They looked first to the protection of the Slayers because that was their job, twice over. First as their employed security guards, roadies, sound men, and friends; and second as employees of the CIA under the direction of Ms. Linda Inverse, Lina's mother.

Looking at the two women standing together, the family resemblance was striking. Petite with flaming red hair, although clipped just touching her shoulders, Linda was an older, more mature version of her daughter. Her eyes were darker, containing more brown than red highlights, but her wit was just as bright and quick to spot the flaw in any argument. As Lina learned that late afternoon, her mother never let her dear daughters drift far from her thoughts, although she had parted from their lives years ago. She and her husband were both agents with hidden identities. His was exposed, and hers nearly in the explosion killing him and the Great Red Priest in Sairaag. To protect her daughters, Linda was sent away. Luna was aligned with the Cepheid Believers and was appointed their 'knight'. She knew, through them, about her mother and spoke with her infrequently, and kept the promise– Lina would not be told. This was the day, however, that Lina learned everything.

While Linda and Luna and Lina stood head-to-head in deep conversation, Rodimus and Zolf directed the clean-up operations. Zelgadiss and Xelloss lead the Slayer's line up to greet and thank each of their friends and comrades in arms who had come that day ready for more than an afternoon's light entertainment. The Draconian cultists, Van, Hitomi and friends left early, happy to have done their part to rid the world of some evil. Besides, Alan had to deal with Celena's latest relapse.

After saying their good-byes, the Goddesses and Keiichi offered Jubei-chan, Shiro, and the bound Hajime a ride home after hearing that their bicycles had been damaged beyond repair outside. The Sailing team and Fencing teams saluted and left. Kenshin spoke to Zelgadiss alone a moment, and then followed his friends out the door. Xelloss bowed to his old dojo sensei and promised to visit. The other martial arts students, including Sano and Ranma, paid tribute to one another's skills and that of the Slayers and then they, too, departed.

While the GW Tech students and Heero said their farewells to the Slayers, Amelia took a moment to explain to Duo about her deepening relationship with Zelgadiss. His cheerful demeanor deflated a little when he understood that he would not be dating Amelia anytime soon, but he understood and wished her well.

The Suzaku Seven spoke to each of the Slayers for some time before they too left the hall. They had a lot of history together and now a problem clouding their past was put to rest.

"Listen, sis... and mom... Milgasia needs to get back to the settlement and so do I. We have a mess of our own to take care of. We'll be in town tomorrow when you all meet with the police for formal statements." She gave both Lina and her mother a hug, then left.

Martina and Zangalus parted saying little, knowing they'd all meet soon to give official statements to the police. John and Miwan offered to take Joey home, for which Gourry was deeply grateful.

But the Slayers could not put all of their heart into these congratulations and partings. There was one friend who could not just go home and laugh about the whole thing in a few weeks.

Subaru hadn't wanted to be separated from Seishirou's body, and had to be restrained by the paramedics. To complete this scene, he fainted in the parking lot, and so he was carted off to the hospital, the Slayers found out. He was being treated for the injuries to his gouged eye and shock, but didn't seem to be responding. They were asked for information, and Xelloss produced Subaru's grandmother's phone number, and his last name, which impressed but did not surprise the hospital receptionist they had called.

"I thought I recognized him, but I decided it couldn't possibly be the same boy!" she gasped. "The last time he was here, he was cheering up elderly and young patients in between jobs, and he was lively as can be! I heard about what happened with his sister, but that was handled by the other hospital, and I hadn't seen him since."

"If we showed up, would we be admitted to see him?" Xelloss asked.

"Since he's sustained major trauma, I'm not sure if even his grandmother will be cleared for some time. Sorry, kids."

"Thank you, anyway."

"That's strange," Zel murmured. "I haven't seen that pet-shop guy since the melee."

"'Pet shop guy'?"

From his spot on the asphalt where the kids were all collapsed around Xelloss and his cell phone, Zel looked up to see their friend Detective Laytner and his partner, looking harried and bedraggled. "You mean that shady 'Count D' character?"

"Officer Orcot is looking for him, too!" Detective Randy 'Ryo' Maclean explained. "We haven't seen him anywhere!"

"But that means he didn't show up dead, either," Lina pointed out.

"We have no evidence he's hurt in any way," Ryo agreed. "But be on the look-out, okay, kids. And, um..."

"Yeah, um, shit, kids," Dee shook his head in disbelief.

"Yes, thank goodness you're all okay!" Ryo managed.

"Thanks for showing up and helping us!" Amelia returned.

"Well, we were there on assignment, anyway," Dee shrugged, but Ryo pushed him a little, derisively.

"Oh, come on, you big softy. He begged the chief to get us this assignment so we could help you guys out."

"Yeah, well, you wanted to see the musical, if I remember correctly mister 'You're such a big softy, Dee!'" Dee said mockingly, to try to regain his dignity.

"Everyone came," Lina said, quietly. "Everyone came to see us..."

But her words were erased by the familiar whirring of a propeller above their heads.

The lot looked up to see a cheerfully yellow helicopter bearing own a few meters away. The good thing about leveling an area with explosives is that it becomes an instant helicopter-landing pad.

"If this is more goons, I'm just going home," Dee muttered, then looked at Xelloss, who had supplied that home and added, "Right after I ice their asses, of course."

"Well, you don't need to worry," Ryo gave him a look. "See that emblem on the side?"

It could have been the private transport of the CEO of a toy company, with the smiling, cartoony fish symbol on the side of the machine. But, of course, it belonged to none other than the

"F#ing CLAMP campus detectives!" Dee grunted. "What are those rich bastards doing here?"

"They were here earlier, I saw them. They've been helping us, too!" Amelia reminded him. "They know Count D. Maybe they know where he is?"

"Maybe they know something!" Sylphiel cried. "I'm so confused!"

"Yeah, you and everybody else," Filia comforted her. "I don't think anybody really knows everything that happened."

"I'm going to test that theory," Lina mumbled.

The three young detectives emerged from the helicopter and made their way over.

"Anyway, we're glad you're all safe and more-or-less sound, and we'll keep in touch!" Ryo shook Zel, Val, Amelia and Sylphiel's hands.

"Yeah, and, ah, thanks for everything," Dee shook Xelloss, Filia, Gourry, and, finally and most firmly, Lina's hands. "You'll knock 'em dead, whatever you end up doing, sweetheart," Dee added to her.

"Of course I will, darling!" she grinned.

And so, as the Seyrunn PD duo retreated and the CLAMP group approached, they traded detective teams.

"See you at the Detectives' Ball in December, Detective Laytner, Maclean!" the young Akira Iyojuin called to the couple, who only waved gingerly back.

"Where have you been?" Xelloss tried to be flippant, but his voice was wavering now.

"Just doing our job!" Nokoru of the blonde tresses and brightest smile mirrored Xelloss' attempts at light-heartedness. "We're going to go see Master Sumeragi. Would you like to accompany us? Oh, and Count D insisted on coming, too, I hope that is all right with you?"

The CLAMP campus detectives had some sort of magic, probably of the monetary variety, which allowed them to pass un-constrained though any number of obstacles. They seemed to be able to march right through the doors to wherever they wanted in the building without so much as an ID check. But the remarkable nature of their visit was lost on the Slayers, who had become instantly subdued upon entering the building. The air of the hospital was more oppressive than usual, despite the fact that this time, they weren't even waiting to hear whether a friend would live or die, as they had experienced too many times in the past two years. No, today was different, because there wasn't really any hope at all.

The Slayers filed into the room Nokoru and Suoh lead them to while Akira talked to a nurse about the pink cardboard box he was carrying.

Subaru was in a cold white room. He looked so pale lying in a shroud of white hospital sheets that if not for his black hair, he would have been nearly invisible. A white bandage was thickly wrapped around his head and the left side of his face. A nurse whispered clandestinely that he would never see out of that eye again. She didn't have to say anything. The Slayers had been there. They knew perfectly well the damage that he'd done to himself.

"Subaru," Nokoru greeted him, gently. He nodded, but did not speak or turn his head towards them. "I brought everybody."

Lina walked over to him first. "Thanks for coming to the musical," she said, quietly. "I...I'm sorry I didn't do more for you." He shook his head, calmly, calmingly.

"It's my fault!" Xelloss cried. "I should have...I should have kept watching over you! If I had just paid attention—"

"I should have said something!" Zel moaned. "I knew how you felt, but I didn't say anything useful, and I could have helped if I'd just—"

"I knew he was a villain, but I thought we were through with him and I just forgot-" Val muttered.

"I should have done something!" Amelia wept on Sylphiel's shoulder.

It occurred to Filia that the reason she felt so awful was that they had all breezed through the battle, as if it were a game, while Subaru had suffered. It was too close to her secret guilt, that they had been oblivious to his pain as she tried to stay oblivious to everyone's pain, and they could have helped him! She could have...

"You are only human," a new voice cut through their noise, cool and clear, "and you have to choose some way to live. Do not regret your choice." Count D, elegant as usual despite the chaos he'd just been through, put one of those lacquered-nailed, spidery hands on Filia's shoulder, and surprisingly, she felt a little better.

"My choice..." Subaru murmured. "When someone is dying..." He had to stop for a second before finishing his thought. "Is what they say..." Another pause for breath or for the pain to go away or whatever was plaguing him, then, "the truth?"

"Who's to say?" Count D said. "A crocodile can shed tears, after all."

"But a crocodile isn't trying to pretend to cry," Nokoru pointed out. "It's just natural behavior."

Count D raised one pencil-line-thin eyebrow to Nokoru. "The Sakurazuka clan has a certain rite they perform in choosing a successor. This is not unusual. The Sumeragi, too, have rites of selection and succession. But the Sakurazuka rites are of a very different nature."

Subaru closed his one visible eye. Count D went on. "Of course, they also go through a good deal of training at an early age. You might call it conditioning."

Did he exchange a purple look with Xelloss? Or was it just his imagination? Xelloss looked away. He already felt sick.

"They are not allowed contact with family members because, in order to raise perfect assassins, they must cease to make emotional connections to humans. To accomplish this state, they force young to kill from an early age, and to kill anyone they become emotionally attached to. Therefore, to preserve the family line, they cannot know their close family until they are inducted as mature members of the clan."

Amelia let out a little whimper, but Sylphiel hugged her more tightly.

"Much the same as the leadership rite in a pride of lions, the Sakurazuka who finds and kills the former head of the clan is the new leader. This is the law of nature."

Lina understood suddenly. She'd seen it in Seishirou through the entire tragedy. "Only humans try to go against their nature. Only humans can be more than their nature."

"Who was...the former head of the Sakurazuka clan?" Suoh asked, in his calm and quiet voice, but more gently than was his want.

"His mother," Count D replied.

"But don't you see?" Lina cried. "He tried to kill Subaru because he—And, and he didn't because—"

"Because it was his nature. And because he was human," Count D agreed. "It was his weakness and Subaru's strength."

"But...then why...didn't he..." He had to stop. They heard him pull a labored breath. "Say...it before?" A tear escaped the working eye, but sudden pain twinged in the other, and he gasped.

"Hang on, Subaru!" Akira cried, his innocent and naïve heart torn apart by this senseless tragedy. "I brought _crème brulee_ for everybody! The nurse said it would be okay if you ate something, since the medication is wearing off!"

Subaru cracked the barest smile. "Thank you...not hungry. Oh!" Everyone was about to rush for a nurse at this second gasp, until he followed it up with, "While I'm here...who will feed...my fish?"

Over _crème brulee_ and a few long-postponed tears of relief, and after a call to the White Shrine to insure that someone (Miroku, actually) had feeding instructions for the koi, the Slayers watched a miracle unfold.

"Subaru," Nokoru began again. "Your grandmother has requested that you take a leave of absence from your post as the Thirteenth Sumeragi Head. She would like for you to live your own life for a while, and then be left to decide for yourself whether your vocation is still strong."

"My vocation..." he thought about it. "I will do as...she says. I cannot help...anyone as I am...now."

"Do not judge yourself harshly!" Amelia and Akira chimed together. "You're still good and pure! And you'll get better!"

He smiled again. "I am not the same...as I was. I...can't return. Sorry for failing you."

"You didn't fail anyone," Xelloss said, firmly. "Everyone gets depressed sometimes. For some of us, it's everyday. But people can get over anything, or at least, they can try to. If I could do it, then you must be able to."

"I...could never try to...understand your pain," Subaru said, "but...I will try to believe you."

"Regardless, you have time to discover your own path for yourself, now," Nokoru said. "We would like to help. We are going to transfer you to the special facilities at the CLAMP school. And we would like for you to attend the college there."

"But I never...finished high school," Subaru sighed.

"That doesn't matter. We have an award-winning zoology program, and a magnificent zoo. Count D told us you might be interested in that."

"And when you are well, perhaps you would like to accompany me on my buying trip through Asia?" the 'count' proposed. "I could use an assistant with such a sensitivity for animals."

Lina added, "And Xelloss is taking us all to Japan in a couple months so you gotta get better quick so you can join us."

In the white, blank room, Subaru's emerald green eyes looked washed out and gray. It was hard for them to tell, with only one side of his face visible, what he was feeling, and ever since he'd had his hair cut, he'd begun to look different, older, and inscrutable. Did he view this all as a hand-out for a pathetic cripple? A distraction to keep his mind off of the difficult choices he might make incorrectly? A second chance?

"When I was little...I wanted to be a zookeeper... To take care of the...elephants. But Grandmother said...I was the strongest Sumer...agi, and so I had to be...this. Hokuto said," he winced and tried to move his hand up to the bandage but thought better of it. "Hokuto said I could still...try. So I will."

Elation. Finally, hope. Nokoru smiled and shook Subaru's hand gently through the sheet. "We'll be honored to have you aboard. And it'll make your band-mates happy, as well. They've been worried about you. Yuzuriha told us that if you didn't come back, she'd be the only one left to talk to Kamui."

"Everyone..." Subaru sighed. "I guess...I'm still alive."

Filia turned to Count D. "Detective Laytner and Maclean said Officer Orcot is still looking for you. Does he know where you are?"

D was still savoring a spoonful of Akira's treat. "Oh, my dear detective? More or less, I'm sure. I'm sorry those two nice young men are worried about me. Perhaps I should pay them a visit. With...a house-warming gift. A dog, I think. They seem like people who could use a dog."

"And just think, Subaru!" Akira beamed. "When you come to the CLAMP school, you can have a dog at the dorms!"

"Just as long as...someone feeds...my fish."

Finally, a doctor flanked by two nurses appeared to break up the party. Apparently, the CLAMP detectives' magic was as brief as Cinderella's. The detectives offered to take Count D home, and he accepted, after setting a box of chocolates and a few bags of tea in a stately cup on Subaru's bedside table. "You need to get your strength up, young man!"

The Slayers were ushered into a waiting room to, well, wait.

"Okay," Lina said. "Lemme get this all straight. Luna filled us in during the intermission on the clan mess. Miles married Millstone Milgasia after meeting her last summer in the Ancient Clan badlands. It was her brother, Slate Rockforce, who headed a bunch of desert clan guys with ulterior motives and Ancient land greed. That just got foiled by Xelloss, Val, Filia, and Zel."

"In a nutshell," Xelloss smiled.

"So says the proverbial nut_case_," Filia remarked.

"Next!" Lina interrupted what was about to become another knock-down-and-drag-out between her two friends. "Then we got the Syndicate..."

"Why not start with our backups, the CIA?" Zelgadiss asked, eyeing Linda Inverse suspiciously as she and their high school principal entered the waiting room. Rodimus and Zolf followed shortly with Kiki and her invaluable-as-evidence video-recorder. They had wanted to be certain all the kids were well.

Xelloss grinned and hopped over to the woman and gestured grandly, "New on the scene is Lina's missing mother, Linda, who, like Lina's father, is a CIA agent. Reporting to her all this time...unbeknownst to us... were Rodimus and Zolf. Who were attached to us through Lina's Aunt Lucille at the Zephillia wine festival..."

"...When we believed that we were hiring a couple of experienced roadies, we were getting a great deal more," Zel broke in.

"Which was a **_good thing_** considering our first attempt-- Dilgear..." Lina said pointedly as a reminder.

"I didn't say it wasn't," Zel retorted defensively.

Putting the brakes on yet another argument was Gourry when he turned toward Grauscherra and asked, "So, what happened to your secretary?"

"Well, I..."

"Sherra? I picked her up runnin' out of that other theater building before your show even started," Rodimus beamed. "She and her recruits, one Vurumagen and another Zazan. Damn, those names are just warped!" Looking askance to both Xelloss and Zelgadiss he flushed, "Ah, sorry, guys...but they are."

Xelloss just laughed while Zel tried to look severe, but then broke into a grin and shook his head, "I have to agree. Xelloss, you are...Max from now on and I'm Joe."

"Max? Maaaaaax? Why Maaaax? I wanna be... Oh, Liiiiiina! What should I change my name to? Zelgadiss wants to call me Max! Max! That's just too terrible!"

"He's been off his meds a little too long," Filia said more loudly than necessary.

Lina holding her mother's hand and smiling turned to him and said, "Goofus!"

"Wha-at?" Xelloss' voice cracked. "Ah, come on...Lina give me a name. Mrs. Inverse, what would you name me if I were your son?"

Linda was not prepared for a question like that, but being fast on her feet paused a moment then answered, "Zachary. I would have named my son Zachary, had I had one."

His jaw dropped, "B-but that's like Zelgadiss..." then he grinned. "Zelgaaaaaaadiss? Guess what my new name's gonna be? Zachary! You can call me Zack, like Jack."

"How about I call you Zack-ass like jackass? No? Then I'll call you Zach-are-eeee!" Zel smirked.

"Just Zzzzzzzzzzzzack."

"Then you call me Zzzzzel."

Xelloss shook his head, "Uh, uh. And not Max either. Bartholomew. Yes...Bar-tho-lo-meeeew." He made it sound like a cat's cry.

Amelia's face lit up, "Zelgadiss! If he becomes Zachary, then you should be...Xane!"

"What!" Zel looked on, horrified at the thought.

"She means, In-xane, as in inxanity, which is what you'd be," Filia noted.

Mrs. Inverse, Linda, pushed a loose stray of red hair out of her face, "Are they always this funny?"

Xelloss jabbed Zel in the ribs, "She thinks we're funny, didya hear? I like her! Yeah, I like her a lot!"

Zel rolled his eyes and whispered, "Please don't tell me you're planning to ask her out."

Lina raised a single eyebrow. "Them? Oh, yeah, regular comedy team. Maybe you've heard of them Xel and Zel or is it Zack and Xane or...? Watch this. Hey! Goofus and Doofus!"

Zel and Xelloss stopped their bickering and turned to Lina, both saying dutifully, "What?"

Lina smiled, "See, they answer to anything I call them 'cause I'm Lina Inverse...Sorceress Supreme! Bwahaha!"

Zolf closed up his cell phone. "Okay, they found digital evidence on Vurumagen's home computer linking him with Sherra—he was taking those photos of you, Xelloss, plus some database repair for her."

Xelloss shrugged, "It would take more than that to break me, but it was annoying." His face brightened as he snickered, "Well, at least I know that where he's going he'll learn fast what it feels like to have _his_ privacy compromised."

"So, Mr. Grauscherra was a nobody?" Gourry asked. He figured that was safe to assume since everyone else at the musical that day had either gone home, was locked up, or was standing right there."

"Well, I don't know...I_ was_ and still_ am_ your principal. That's something!" the man jested.

"But Miss Sherra, she was working for you at school, but fer herself on the sly, right?" Gourry asked, his confidence growing.

"So it appears. She had answering to her, and not me, Vurumagen, Dilgear now dead, and Zazan on loan from Naraku... Yes, what that Naraku demon said was probably right. I bet she thought I'd loaned that man to her. She tried to thank me for him once and I didn't understand what the devil she was talking about."

Gourry nodded and then grinned and asked Lina's mother, "Okay, I got one question for you then... Who was buried when Xelloss' mother first 'died'? I remember him saying when we were all at the hospital the first or second time that the CIA goofed up and got her killed. But she wasn't...not then anyway, 'cause I saw her helicopter blow up."

Lina's jaw dropped. Where had Gourry come up with that? "How long have you been wondering about that, huh?" she asked with a lazy swat to his arm.

"It's all right, Lina-dear," her mother said. "As I recall, when Zelas Metallium escaped our lockup, a cover-up was conceived. I believe it was a simple body switch, an unidentified Jane Doe of approximate weight and height, made up to look like her, placed inside the casket, just in case it was opened prior to her eventual cremation after the funeral. We knew she would surface again, as long as her son was still on the loose, and that she would contact him—which she did," Linda sighed. "It wasn't my operation—none of it. I was against putting you in peril again," she said to Xelloss directly. "Can you forgive me?"

Xelloss smiled, "On one condition..."

"Gods no, Xelloss..." Zel and Lina moaned harmoniously.

"And what's that?" Linda Inverse asked full of curiosity.

"You'll let me take you out for dinner and... dancing. You like to dance, don't you? Say you do, please?"

Slipping her arm through his she smiled, "I love dancing! You Tango?"

"All night!" he beamed.

Lina sank back onto a wall of Gourry and Zel. "I can't believe it. Hey, just a minute there, buster!"

Xelloss paused, "Yes, Lina?"

"You asked me something earlier and I haven't given you my answer!"

"That's right!"

"And...ah...yeah. I wanna go...somewhere."

"France, to start?"

"Sure. France is fine. Yeah." Lina wanted to travel and it didn't matter to where.

"Very well." Xelloss looked off toward the others, scanning for Kiki's face. "Is that okay with you, then?"

"Oh, yes! That will make Mr. Seyruun happy, having Lina accompany us. He didn't think it was proper for two unmarried young people to be traveling together...alone. And we will have such fun, Lina, you and I!"

"Ah...yeah..." Lina said, taking it all in. So, Xelloss wasn't trying to seduce her? That was...refreshing...she thought.

"I thought you were taking us all to Japan, Xelly-bean!" Filia cried out.

"Oh, I am, as promised, as soon as school is out we'll all go, but this trip needs to get done right away. Lina and Kiki can miss a few weeks, I assume, right Grauscherra?"

"I'll see what I can work out so that Lina graduates and gets her transcripts sent on to the university," the principal answered. "Kiki will be no problem either, having just arrived anyway."

Observing Gourry's confused look, Zel suggested, "I never want to see the inside of a hospital again. Come on let's go home now and I'll explain it all on the way."

"Oh yeah?" Gourry smiled. "Just as long as we stop and get dinner on the way. All that fighting's made me hungry."

"Not a bad idea!" Lina chuckled and slapped him on the back. "Betcher brought some money with ya, right?"

"Well...not exactly..." Gourry's expression said it all.

"How about we all go together, my treat!" Mrs. Inverse recommended. "Me and my littlest girl have a lot of catching up to do...before I go out dancing tonight."

* * *

Epilogue

After taking off the weekend to regroup, Grauscherra called a meeting with the kids at the High School the next Monday. He thanked them all for their fine performances on and of stage, and then discussed a few of his plans.

"First, I've decided to let Lina graduate with all her credits, granted a little early; that is, without her coming back to school these next couple of months. From what I understand, Lina will be traveling with Xelloss, who has promised Miss Kiki to accompany her back to France to set her family property to rights and visit and pack, etc. Val, you and Gourry have a few things to complete, as do you too, Amelia, Sylphiel and Filia, but you boys are all set for graduation."

"That's good," Zel said. "Our plan is to all meet in Tokyo in six weeks. And after visiting there, it's hard to say. A dozen music gigs lined up most likely."

"I believe I will be joining Xelloss at some point. We will be busy visiting ex-syndicate locales and set the 'cleansing' in motion, I understand. But only for the summer," Grauscherra smiled. "After that, I shall remain happily here as the Seyruun High School principal for many financially successful years to come."

And so it came to pass... The Slayers made it big and the syndicate fell. Was that all? No, of course not, but to tell that... Well, that's...another story.

The End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 50.

* * *

From the Authors:

This is the last chapter of Seyruun High Jinx NEXT, the third story in the SHJ series telling about the Slayers band. Thank you for sticking it out and reading this to the very end. We had a blast writing it!

Please, leave a review...even just a one-liner that says "I did it!" to let us know you survived the thousands of pages to reach this point.

For those of you who are interesting in reading about the kids a few years in the future, learning what became of them, and in particular reading about them from a romantic viewpoint, then look for the next story:

**_SHJ Ten Year _****_Reunion_**

KS

The End


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